The Biography of a Vampire
by Mousy C
Summary: Not just any typical story about vampires. Stella Monroe is a young girl who moves with her brother and father to Firehole, Arizona. There she meets old and forgotten friends and the situation gets bloody.
1. Chapter 1

The Biography of a Vampire

**Chapter 1- The Return**

_I've never had a normal life. But I never knew it was gonna go as far as to moving from one state to another or a spontaneous divorce between my parents. Mom had realized, after twenty years of marriage, that two teenagers and a busy man were too much for her to handle.___

_I still couldn't believe she did this to me and my brother. Nate took it much better than me, he knew it would have to come to this but I didn't. I never understood the meaning beyond their angry replies, the yells, the late night fights. But he did. For mom, last Saturday was enough and she left. Dad is now trying to offer me and Nate a good life but who's he kidding?___

_It's hard to raise two teenagers. I thought he would leave too but he didn't. He's trying, he really does but sometimes, he's crying his heart out. He thinks we're sleeping but we can hear him clearly. However, now he seems to be doing much better. It's been a week and he came up with the bright idea of changing states again..but this time, for good. That's how we ended up here, in Firehole, Arizona._

"Knock, knock..." I raised my head from the pages of my journal and looked at my father's figure. He seemed happy, in a way. I haven't seen him smile in quite a while. It's not just mom's fault. With moving to this new town, a new job with new obligations and responsibilities have come. He was stressed out. "Hope I didn't interrupt you."

I shook my head and closed the book. Getting up from the bed, which I dragged with me from…home, I said, "No. I was just finishing. Where's Nate?"

The man shrugged. It's a typical reaction when it comes to Nate. Being one year older he always thought he was mature enough to do whatever that pretty head of his thought of. That's always freaking out me and dad. He's a troublemaker...and I always have to pull him out of his own mess.

"How do you feel, Stel?" I sighed and put a reassuring smile. I don't want to be the pessimist in this family. Plus, dad needs all our support.

"I'm good, dad. This town seems friendly. I just hope I will have time to live my own life too."

Dad laughed slightly. Back in the old town, Nate was quite popular with everyone and anyone, police included. Not because of drugs or anything...he wasn't the type. He was a ladie's guy and loved to party, so it only made sense for the pretty girls around him that they had to hate me.

I really hope things won't be the same now.

"Hopefully, your brother learned his lesson." I was just going past, making my way downstairs, when I heard that. I turned my head and quirked an eyebrow, making him chuckle.

"Nate will never change, dad. Don't be too optimistic, especially when it comes to him and his behavior." Dad shrugged again but came over to pull me in a hug. I was a little skeptical...he didn't show his emotions any time. But I guess mom really got to him.

"I'm sorry about what happened, Stella. I'm sorry about everything."

I put my hands around his torso and closed my eyes. His grip tightened slightly.

"It's not your fault. It's mom's."

Downstairs, the back door had just opened. When both me and dad got there, Nate was there too, sitting on a chair and biting from an apple.

"Where have you been, Nathan?"

I supressed a chuckle when I heard dad's business tone of voice. Nate just rolled his eyes. Finally, he took a pause from eating and said, contemplating the apple rather than looking at dad.

"Out. It's a crime to be curious about what the new town's like now?" Dad sighed. I supported my head on a hand and leaned on it. This should be interesting and short.

"No. But I know you, Nate. I don't want you to get in trouble again. I want you to help this work." Nate raised an eyebrow and looked at dad, seemingly amused.

"This? What's _this_, dad? We've just moved here. I don't want you to take mom's place. Be a good daddy and stay out of my life." He narrowed his eyes at dad before leaving out the front door again.

Dad sighed and rubbed his temples, annoyed.

"It's going to be harder than I thought..."

I looked at him. A man, a father who's never been there for his children, always put work before family, left alone with two teenagers. I got up and took the two bags full with books from the couch in the living room and got out, giving dad a confident smile over my shoulder.

"Everything's gonna be ok," I closed the door behind me and stopped to look in front of me at the annoyed Nate, sitting at the wheel of his M3. "...Eventually."

I went over, next to his very much loved BMW, and handed him the things he needed for school.

"Careful with the body kit!" He said when I only scratched the surface of the side skirt my his back-pack. Typical of him. I rolled my eyes and went to hop in the passenger's seat.

At school, because dad couldn't afford to let us stay at home for a few days and miss important work, people weren't surprised to see new faces at all. Maybe it was something they got accustomed with. However, when I entered the class room, people stared. Some were happy, some were bored and some were glaring. Don't know why though.

My confidence dropped in an instant when I saw a few girls looking my way and laughing. I rolled my eyes and sat on a chair in the back, the one next to the window. There weren't many kids in the back, just a few girls who were concentrating on what the teacher was doing and a boy. His desk was the one opposite mine. I dropped my school bag, and took my books out. History isn't really one of my favorite classes...

I heard those girls giggle and whisper while glancing at me.

"Great," I mumbled and rolled my eyes. While I was listening to the teacher, who looked like he got bored of repeating the same things to a class who was doing anything else but listening, I felt watched. I've felt this way a lot in my old school. I thought it will stop soon, I'm not that interesting, but it didn't. Curious, I took my eyes off the teacher and to my stalker. It was the boy. It seemed he didn't have a single problem with staring visibly at me. I raised an eyebrow and he did the same. I chuckled and shook my head. He gave a small smile. Right then I had an idea. I started writing, he did the same. I waved and he did it too, I raised one eyebrow, he copied me... without a problem.

I crossed my eyes and he tried but he couldn't. I started laughing silently while he stopped trying and simply smiled.

When, finally, the bell rang I was more than thankful. I took my things and got up. The boy rose up too and with his books in hands, he let me get in front of him, chuckling on the way. Out of the classroom I had the chance to see how big the population was. Maybe it is a small city but it has a rather huge number of kids. I tried searching for Nate but with him being one year older, he might as well be in a different building. This school had three.

"I'm doomed," I said and rubbed my hand, something I always did when nervous. I made my way to my locker. Because I've lived in a small city in France, the locker-thing was kind of strange. Moving from place to place so much, even though it was different with both my parents, I learned how these things work. I opened it easily and put my books in, taking the others I needed for English. I was just about to close the locker when I felt a few persons coming this way. I've always had this thing. Dad always told me it's just how I was born, call it sixth sense, he said. It's annoying. Every night I feel like I'm being watched, I'm afraid I will end up being paranoid. Grandma said it's not the time for me to know, yet. I don't think I want to know whatever that might be at all. I was right with the feeling, anyway.

Next to me were the girls from class.

One had beautiful blonde and curly hair and she had surprising brown eyes, was wearing high heels, which I don't imagine myself wearing, and a floral dress. She was smiling big at me, which kind of creeped me out...The one in her right looked different. She had brown hair with red and orange higlights, tight black jeans, black converse and a nice simple shirt. Her eyes were big and green.

The last one was a little shorter than the other two and wore red converse. Her eyes weren't something extraordinary but they had a blue/grey color. She had a purple shirt and blue jeans. Her hair was reddish. That's when I realized that just the blonde one was talking in class.

"Hi! We saw you today in history and knew you were new. I'm Tracy!" She said extending her hand to me. I looked a little taken aback. This doesn't happen every day...

"Nice to meet…you," I wasn't good at dealing with weirdly happy people. She was one of them. Her smile got bigger, if that was possible, and she started talking again.

"It's nice to see new faces. Since Eric moved over, no one came around here to stay. Just people wandering," she said. I looked at the two other girls.

"And you?" They smiled and introduced themselves. The reddish one's name is Samantha, Sami for short, and the brunette's name is Anastasia, Ana for short.

"We're not going to drag you to the mall and change you into a Barbie doll. Stay calm," the brunette said, chuckling, making the two others laugh too. I sighed, relived. "And what about your name? You didn't mention it." I nodded.

"Stella." They nodded happily again. They really didn't seem like preppy girls but they did talk about boys like crazy. Lunch came maybe too soon. In every class I had at least one of girls with me.

"Who's this Eric you're talking about?" I asked feeling a pair of eyes settled on my back, again. I'm pretty sure it wasn't because I was at the same table with them. Sami rolled her eyes and took a bite from her sandwich.

"Eric moved here last year. He was the new gossip source. Girls were talking about how hot he is and things like these. However, since his father died, he lives with his uncle, who moved here too. At first he had friends and all but after his father's death he changed drastically. He's always alone, he doesn't talk with too many people, and the one he talks to is just asked a question. He was my cousin's friend until he left." I raised an eyebrow, curious. I looked at him from the corner of my eye. He was at the table near the window. He was all alone and staring outside.

"He left?" I asked, a little insecure. I didn't know the guy and still I want to know. I felt like I had to.

"Yes. He said it was just a short vacation, to get his head off his father's death. He never talked about his mother. It said that she died long time ago in a fire. He was young, he tried to save her but the building collapsed. It's still a mystery how he still lives. He was blocked in the house too. Roy told me this."

"Roy is your cousin?" She nodded. "So he'd seen death with his own eyes." When those words got out of my mouth I felt something weird, a tingling feeling. I felt…excited for some reason.

"So, back to the story. I heard he lived in Phoenix until he came here. His father was very cold. He used to come and take Eric from school and instruct him to do this and that. It was sad to see such a nice boy being commanded around by such a strict man. His father was quite handsome too."

I looked at her skeptically, not needing thiat bit of information at all. She chuckled. "He left in that vacation three months after he moved to Firehole and he came back last month. However, it seems he didn't lose anything. He knew everything perfectly fine when he returned. He wasn't the same old Eric. He changed. He's so cold and mysterious. He keeps everything inside. Roy is the only one he talks to these days, but not much." I was surprised to hear his story. Eric was the guy I played with in class.

_Normal narration_

Eric felt eyes on him, it wasn't such a shock why. He has seen the new girl and he surprised himself by smiling to her. It felt so normal. He felt normal with her and he wasn't normalat all. His life changed, his destiny changed, actually, he didn't even know what he wanted from life now. But he has the time, more time than he thought. Eric opened his eyes, inhaling, and closed them when he felt the girl glancing at him from the distance. He could smell her perfume, could hear her heart beat. It was beating so fast and the blood was running through her body. It was so…inviting. It was calling for him.

He wanted to taste it. He opened his eyes fast and stared at the food in front. He wasn't hungry anymore. His eyes trailed to the new girl. She was staring at him back from the corner of her eyes. He smirked making her turn her full attention to her new friends. He changed the view, looking back at the window. He sighed and got his hand through his hair.

Stella couldn't take his eyes from the boy. He was so…fascinating.

_Stella's POV_

"Don't tell me you like him," Tracy said, the end of her lips curling, I looked at my food and gulped what I was munching on, which was an apple.

"I think he actually likes you. I saw him smile at you in History. That's a huge thing!" Ana said, smiling kindly. I nodded.

"Go to him. Maybe he'll talk to you." I chuckled but got up and made my way towards him. When I arrived, he looked at me with a deep stare, mostly at my eyes.

"Hi. I was just wondering if I can…sit?" It was awkward and I felt shy. I'm not shy and it's a weird feeling now that I finally feel it. Not even in my school I felt like this.

"Sure. I'm Eric, by the way."

I nodded and smiled, not sure if he would too. He did, even if it was almost inexistent. "I'm not very interesting," he said. That's when I realized I was staring at him.

"Sorry, it's just that…" He raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"They told you my history?" I started chuckling with him.

"Kind of, yes. I'm sorry for your father. I would be messed up if something would happen to mine." He nodded in understanding. "Mom didn't die but she left me and my brother. It seems we were too hard to understand for her." I said and rolled my eyes feeling that hate again. He looked a little worried...and it was cute.

"They told you my mother died in a fire and I survived mysteriously, didn't they?" I nodded, He sighed and rubbed his head. "It became Sami's hobby to tell my story to everyone she meets and is a girl," I chuckled, feeling more relaxed. I went closer to him, even if I was standing opposite to him, and smiled.

"She's a little weird, huh?" I asked him chuckling. He chuckled too and nodded his head.

"But Tracy's the worst. She never stops talking, I tried."

I started giggling like a little girl when she seeing something that she likes. Eric wasn't at all as I imagined. He wasn't cold. He was actually sweet. "They're great girls. You'll have a lot of fun with them." I nodded.

"Why don't you?" He raised an eyebrow, making him look extremely cute.

"Why don't I what?" I rolled my eyes playfully.

"Have fun. Why don't you have fun? Why are you alone?" He scoffed.

"I'm having fun. I just enjoy being by myself." I chuckled slightly making him punch me lightly.

"That hurt a little. Are you secretly superman or something?" He shook his head, the smile still there.

"No. I'm Robin but I don't want to let everyone to know. You have to keep the secret." He whispered.

"Batman does the job. Robin is just…there." He narrowed his eyes playfully.

"Don't insult me, you'll have nightmares."

I couldn't stop myself from having a fit. "Nightmares? Really?" He shrugged.

"That's everything that came to mind..."  
>I rolled my eyes and chuckled.<p> 


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2: Ouroboros**

In the other part of the cafeteria, Nate was rather surprised to see his sister talking to the three girls and then, having fun with that guy too. He smiled seeing her smiling. One of his freshly made friends punched him lightly. His attention remained on Stella.

"What the heck, dude? You like the new girl now?"

Nate gave his friend a dumb look. "She's my sister."

The boy next to him looked dumbly in between Nate and the girl.

"Oh."

Nate rolled his eyes and nodded. They do look alike…a little bit.

"Who's him?" Nate asked Greg, his friend, pointing at Eric.

"He's Eric. If you want further information, ask Sam. That girl over there," Greg responded and pointed towards the table where the three girls sitting, watching Stella. Nate nodded, but didn't go. Everything would be done at the right moment...

Stella was very happy around Eric. But of course good things end quickly, so the bell rang, signaling the end of lunch. Next period was English.

"So…" I looked with an amused stare at a smirking Sami.

"So…what?"

Sam rolled her eyes at my innocent smile.

"Oh, come on! I really haven't seen Eric smile so much in these past few months. Actually, at all! What did you tell him?"

I shrugged.

"Nothing, honestly. He's just really nice."

Sam's smirk widened. But the teacher came in and the boring lesson started. After school, the girls were all over an amused me, still in glee after the surprising encounter with Eric.

"I haven't seen him chuckling. Ever! You know, you should come to this party tonight. Maybe you'll see him again, aaaand…" She raised both her eyebrows while I narrowed my eyes at her playfully.

"Shut up."

They giggled.

"You should come to the party though. It's a routine. Everyone goes once in a month, to the most amazing party at Fey's, to get drunk and see new and old people." I nodded..It seemed nice.

"The best part is this contest. You can win the prize, which most of the time is something big! What do you say?" I smiled and nodded. "Great!"

Back at home time went by very fast.

"Going to the party?" Nate asked from the door. I nodded, my eyes locked onto my reflection in the mirror. "Want to impress someone?"

I raised my eyebrow at an amused Nate. "I can see you in the mirror, Nate. Stop moving your eyebrows up and down." He started laughing. "If you want to know," I turned around to face my brother. "I don't want to impress anyone. It's been too long since I last acted like a girl. I just want to go back to who I was!"

He rolled his eyes, amused.

"We'll see, little sister."

I rolled my eyes and stuck my tongue out making him laugh. When he finally walked downstairs, I was relieved. He's an annoying brother and he never stops until making you feel embarrassed.

While applying lipstick I saw something shining in the back. I walked closer to see a nice necklace. It was made from silver and it had a beautiful ouroboros pendant with white shining small diamonds. It was beautiful, a masterpiece indeed. It was clearly made by hand and I bet it took a lot to finish it. Subconsciously, I took it and put it around my neck.

Downstairs, dad was talking to Nate about my safety. I rolled my eyes, even if I couldn't hear them clearly.

"Relax, dad. There will be more than just one person!" Dad looked between me and Nate with a glint in his eyes, like he knew something that we didn't. Definitely mysterious. He sighed and patted Nate on the back.

"Just, be careful. If something happens, come home."

Both me and my brother looked strangely at dad but didn't comment. "Trust me. It would be better and I would feel better if you'd do as I said," We nodded, a little bit skeptical, and finally left out the front door.

"What do you think he meant?" Nate asked me while driving to Fey's. I shrugged.

"I think he went through too many things. He's trying to be a good father but he ends up over reacting."

Nate nodded.  
>"True. But what could possibly happen, so bad to make us come home?" I shrugged again and leaned back. Nate was lost in his own thoughts and I didn't want to interrupt him. I looked out of the window, glancing at the trees we were passing. While being slightly bored with my own thoughts I saw something moving through the trees. I looked more again, more carefully, but couldn't see it anymore. Now that was something weird.<p>

"We're here," Nate finally said before opening the door on his side. I got out and went to search for the girls. Fortunately for me, they found me. Tracy was very happy.

"I'm so happy you came! I thought you woouldn't show up," She pouted at the last part. After they gave me a drink we started talking about the teenagers there.

"Chris is a really nice kid, and you'll meet Roy soon enough. He's somewhere around."

While she said this I looked after another familiar face. "Oh, here you are!" Sami shouted happily. I turned my head to see a very nice looking guy. He had blonde hair and typical blue eyes, a very white shining smile and a bottle of beer held in his hand. From my point of view, he looked like what some people would call a typical jock.

"Nice to see you so excited. Too many?" He asked Ana, who started laughing.

"Too many," He nodded and took a sip from his beer. His eyes traveled from one girl to anoother and finally landed on me.

"And you are…Stella, right?" I nodded, surprised. He noticed my expression and chuckled. "My cousin is Sam. I think that explains everything."

I started laughing and nodded while Sami scoffed. From one thing to the other, I also met Roy's friends and other people Tracy, Sami and Ana knew.

It was almost the end of the party and the lottery competition thing was ready to start. Nate was half drunk, flirting with any girl he found attractive, and I was enjoying my time with my friends.

"It's going to start! Are you ready?" Everyone seemed to be very excited. The big thing with small balls in it started rolling, making everyone anxious. While watching, interested in what the results would be, I felt someone coming from behind.

"Hey." I turned my head around to see the one person I've waited for the entire night. I smiled, the night instantly getting better. He looked very good in his clothes. Blue jeans and a black shirt through which his nice and fit chest could be seen. He also wore black converse and his hair was sticking in every direction. Now this is one really good-looking guy.

"Hi. Are you excited to see who's the winner?"

He shrugged. "Are you?"

"You want the truth or the lie?" He laughed. "I'm not in for the prize. I haven't written my name on a piece of paper like most people here did. In conclusion, I don't care."

He raised his eyebrow and looked at me with a very intense stare.  
>"Do you want to win?" I shrugged. "I bet you will." It was my turn to raise an eyebrow.<p>

"How?"

He shrugged and put a hand around my shoulder, making me tense up.  
>"Let's see." We waited for the balls to stop moving. When they did, out rolled a blue ball. The man, I think Mister Fey, opened the ball and took the piece of paper out of it.<p>

"The prize this month is…an Audi TT!" The crowd started yelling everything and anything. I rolled my eyes, making Eric chuckle. He was so close behind that I could feel his chest rising with every breath he took. Weirdly enough, I couldn't hear his heartbeat. "The lucky winner is…" It was really silent. "Stella Monroe!"

My eyes were so wide I could actually feel them boiling out. My mouth was open, almost touching the floor. Everyone was cheering on. I looked back to Eric to see he wasn't there anymore. Nate came closer and started pushing me towards the supposed-to-be stage.

"I won," I whispered, still being pushed by my brother. He had a very big grin on his face.

"Yes. Congratulations! Now you can drive anywhere."

I couldn't believe it. I didn't even try to but I won.

"Congrats, Stella!" I watched my friends to see them very smiley.

"Thanks…I guess." I mumbled the last part, looking at everyone with the only tiny smile I could manage at that moment. The man gave me the keys and patted my back. I took them and went back to my friends, the party continuing.

"This is so cool! Your first time in this and you won! I'm so proud of you!" Tracy was too happy and it was hard to breath while being hugged so tightly.

"Um…thanks." I could mumble only after she let me go.

After the party ended for me, meaning Nate got too drunk to stay on his feet, I had to go back home. Now, the big and still unresolved mystery of teenage sisters...How would I take Nate home, now that I had two cars? His and…mine. It's still creeping me out, the way I won it.

"What's wrong?" I jumped when I heard his voice. It was late and I had a drunk guy leaning on my shoulder. How helpless could I get , huh? "You seem to need help."

"Really?" I asked sarcastically, rolling my eyes. He shrugged, smiling. I felt Nate stir in my neck and wake up.

"Stel? I'm ok. I can drive home," I looked at him like he was crazy. "I swear. I'm not as wasted as I look."

I sighed and helped him on his own feet.

"He looks well enough. Go back in and you'll see other horrors," Eric said, of course, taking my brother's side. They're both boys, after all.

"Yeah, yeah. What he says..." Nate stumbled on his feet to his M3 and, while trying to open the door, fell face-first. Eric and I were staring at him.

"I'm good!"

Eric stared, amused, while I rolled my eyes, annoyed and tired.

"Look, I'll drive his car while you drive yours. I'm sure you're excited to play with your new toy." I stared in his eyes, debating with myself. Nate tried to open the door again and fell half on the silver hood, half on the pavement.

"Fine."

Eric nodded and with the still amused face, took Nate and placed him in my new car, in the passenger's seat. While I got in my Audi, Eric got in Nate's BMW. The whole time I couldn't stop glancing back. Surprisingly, Eric had been driving the whole ride behind me. I didn't want to sound rude, but there's something intriguing about him...

Like a mystery, a character from Agatha Christie's novels, where the nice boy turns out to be the killer. I should stop reading detective novels.

When we arrived home, no lights were on. Luckily, dad was asleep and wouldn't see the alcoholic son. I parked the car, letting space for the BMW too, and got out. Eric was right next to me, helping me carry Nate, who meanwhile fell asleep. When we arrived in front of the door I opened it and forgot I had Nate leaning on my shoulder. He fell, even if he didn't even feel it.

"Thanks, Eric." He smiled and nodded. While staring awkwardly at each other I saw his look change into a very curious one.

"What's this?" He asked pointing at my necklace. I looked down at it, having forgotten about it completely.

"A necklace."

He rolled his eyes while I started chuckling.

"I don't know. I have it for as long as I can remember. It has always been there," Eric was mesmerized. He came closer, still staring at the stone. He put his hand around it and both of us felt like the air had been stuck in our lungs. He got his hand back in an instant, looking deep in thought.

"I…have to go. See you tomorrow," He said it so quick I couldn't even recall the words. He left fast. I touched the stone again, but I felt normal. No…pain.

In my room, in bed I was just finishing my 'life short story' for today when I realized I was still wearing the necklace. I took it down and looked closely at it. The stone was so beautiful, call me crazy but that ouroboros makes me feel good, accomplished in a way.

_"I hate you!"_

I looked up, shocked. What was this? I got off the bed and went to the balcony. I opened the door and leaned on the frame. I turned my full attention to the moon. It was so bright tonight. The stone shone brightly in the moonlight.

Meanwhile, not very far away from the Monroe house, Eric was watching the moon from his own balcony, his eyes glistening.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3: Weird Things Happen**

The next morning I woke up when my brother started banging on my door. I groaned and pulled the blanket over my head. The knocking didn't stop. I sighed and dragged myself out of bed to open that damn door.

"Don't you have something better to do? Like sleeping? Don't you have a hangover?"

He shrugged.

"I took an aspirin. D'you want one? You don't look too good."

I glared at him while he just put a msirk over his face. He was in his playful mood. Practically, he makes fun of everyone until he gets slapped or his face is punched in.

"What do you want, Nate?" He walked slowly in my room and inspected it. I raised an eyebrow, curious.

"Well? Is there something you need?" He shook his head and looked around. He was close to leaving, but he caught a glimpse of something interesting.

"What's this?" It sounded like he was asking himself, not me. I walked closer to him and watched the way he inspected the pendant. "It's beautiful. So…medieval." I watched between the pendant and him, curiously. While still searching for an undetifiable emotion on his face I saw something strange. His eyes were changing colors. From green to red.

"…Nate? Are you ok? Your eyes…" He stopped me by putting the pendant down, and closed his eyes. I trailed my eyes down his hand to see he had his hand tightly clenched, looking almost pale, because of how hard his grip on the woden dresser was. I put my hand on his back, worried. "Nate?" When my hand touched his back I felt a vibration and I froze.

_"I hate him!" A girl who looked exactly like Stella yelled. Next to her, comforting her, was a boy who looked exactly like Nate. "I thought he's my friend…he's just another puppet."___

_Nate had a tight and protective grip around Stella.___

_"Stella? Stella! Please, let me in!" Both siblings looked at the door. They could hear the pleading and worry in the second boy's voice. "I can explain. Come on, Stella. Open this damn door!" Stella's cries intensified.___

_"She doesn't want to see you. Leave her alone, Eric! You've done enough." The knocking stopped, but Nate still glowered fiercely at the door.___

_"I'm sorry."_

Stella opened her eyes, not even knowing she closed them, and came face to face with a worried Nate.

"Did you just see what I saw?"

I nodded slowly. I was scared, I've just had something like a vision.

"Those two looked like us. They had our names."

"It was us. It felt…familiar." Nate nodded. "Eric…I heard his name. He was the one behind the door, pleading me to listen to him. I hated him at that moment…but why?"

Nate took a last look at the pendant and drew in a big breath. He let it out in one long and dramatic sigh.

"Don't tell dad about it. He will freak out." I nodded. "Stel, did something happen last night?" He asked looking deep in my eyes.

"You got swine drunk and I won a car. Is that weird enough for you?" He shook his head chuckling.

"I meant if something weird happened after I fainted."

I thought a little and that was when I remembered about the weird thing with the pendant…The pendant…"I know you, Stella. Tell me."

"You fell when I opened the door and that's when I turned to say good night to Eric. He saw the necklace and the pendant simply amazed him. When he touched it I felt like I got electrocuted. I think he felt that too. He was a bit shocked and left in a heartbeat. And last night I also heard the words 'I hate you' while staring at the pendant." Nate nodded, looking very intrigued.

"I'll have some research done on this. You just relax."

I nodded and felt comforted by his smile. After he left I looked at the clock. I closed my eyes and groaned...Just half hour to get ready and go to school.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: Pictures and Memories**

I arrived just when the bell rang and, happily, the Maths' teacher wasn't in class yet. Lucky me, Eric wasn't there either. Ana was in this class with me and she waved me over. I took the seat next to her and sighed. While searching for a pen I found something else. I gasped feeling the small ouroboros in my hand.

"What's wrong?" I was saved by the teacher. I really didn't want to tell Ana all the details. I wasn't in the mood for it...

_Normal narration_

While Stella was in class, listening to that old man rambling on and on about theories and numbers, Nate hadn't been bothered to move his nice ass to school. He went straight to the oldest library in town. Entering, he knew he couldn't just start looking for a book about him or Stella, so he came up with a sort of plan.

"Hello, miss," He gave a half-lidded enticing stare toward the woman behind the desk, smirking. Of course, the woman, who was in her mid-twenties, blushed at the young and very handsome boy in front of her. "I need a book about the history of Firehole. Can you show me where I could find it?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.

The woman was close to melting, but she nodded. She beckoned for Nate to go after her. They walked in silence, Nate with a bored expression. That was most likely the first and last time he will step a foot in that place. The woman stopped and searched with her eyes through a shelf full of antique-looking books.

"This is it. The entire history of Firehole. Um…" She started, blushing when she realized how close to her Nate was. He gave her another smirk and took the book. He turned and walked to the space designed for readers, not without smirking over his shoulder at the still blushing woman.

"Thanks..." She nodded. After taking a seat, the 18-year-old teenager started searching for some clue about what happened earlier that morning. He had his nose deeply buried in the book when he found something catchy, "A fire at the Arche family. Eric Arche had been the only survivor. Because of the unfortunate event, Cameron Arche wanted his only son to marry the daughter of Aaron Blanche, a very important citizen in Firehole. While the war took place, Eric couldn't marry her since she died. Her name was Rebecca Blanche. Blanche and Arche decided to make a contract saying that Eric would have an arranged marriage with the youngest sibling, Stella…The marriage didn't happen because of the mysterious deaths of the two Blanche heads. Stella and Nathan, then the only members of the noble family, disappeared after the war ended. They have been considered dead." Nate raised an eyebrow. He raised his head to look for the librarian. When he found her, he waved her to come over. He pointed at the two names. Stella and Nathan Blanche.

"Oh, yes. It's such a sad story. Eric Arche was such a nice gentleman from what my grand-grandmother told me. Also, Stella was a very beautiful woman. No one knows why that war between families began."

"Are there any pictures of the two families?" She nodded and walked away. When she came back, she gave Nate another book, this one an album He first went to Arche's pictures.

_**Eric Nicholas Arche.**__  
><em>_Born on 3rd September 1890, died on 30th March 1909._

There was a picture below. Nate could swear he had seen that face before. Next thing, he looked at the two other names.

_Christopher Gregory Arche  
><em>_Born on 26th November 1887, died on 4th October 1912._

_**Cameron Jonathan Arche**__  
><em>_Born on 13th December 1700._

It seemed that no one knew when the older Arche died. However, it was bizarre. He was born in 1700, for God's sake! He turned the page to see the Blanche name written in bold letters. There were also pictures. They were really old. His eyes traveled over every name. There were a few that really caught his attention.

_Beatrice and Aaron Blanche  
><em>_Born on 4th April 1860; Born on 10th December 1858; both died on 9th August 1900._

_Rebecca Blanche  
><em>_Born on 12th July 1887, died on 19th February 1900._

_Nathan Blanche  
><em>_Born on 23rd August 1889, date of death unknown._

_Stella Blanche  
><em>_Born on 18th May, 1892, date of death unknown._

Nate was more than shocked when he saw the pictures. Right there were his and Stella's faces. He dropped the weird album, scared. He felt that pain in his head again...


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5: Once Upon a Time**

_A young girl was smiling happily while running through the woods. A boy, a little older, was not far behind.___

_"Wait up Stel! If you run so fast you'll…" The boy stopped talking when the girl, Stella , fell. She started laughing while he went closer, rolling his eyes. "Trip. Stubborn girl." Stella stuck her tongue out and the boy glared playfully while helping her up.___

_"I'm fine. Why don't you go back to whatever you were doing and let me be?" He shrugged.___

_"It's much better here with you. You're funny. Plus, I'm your older brother and I have to protect you." The boy smirked at Stella while she rolled her eyes and scoffed.___

_"I don't need protection, Nate. I can take care of myself." He sighed.___

_"If you say so…" Stella turned around and took off again, leaving an annoyed Nate behind.___

_The scene changes to a living room. Stella and Nate are there to meet the Arche family. Their parents are there too.___

_"This is huge. I don't get them. They're filthy rich yet they want a pact with our family." Nate shrugged.___

_"Not our business. " Stella nodded and returned to stare at the amusing large room. She was interrupted by a boy, maybe a little older than herself, coming in. He smiled at her.___

_"Hello. You must be the Blanche family. Father and mother will be down shortly." The two older Blanche nodded while Nate rolled his eyes. The boy's eyes trailed to Stella. "I'm Chris. Nice to meet you." Stella nodded while Nate couldn't really be bothered to care. They both knew Rebecca has to marry one of the Arche siblings yet none met them before. A few minutes later the two nobles came down in all their glory.___

_"Beatrice, Aaron. Such a pleasure to see you." The two families hugged and shook hands. While they started talking Stella went looking through the house. It was even bigger. She wandered upstairs where she found that every room was closed except one, in the very back. She walked closer slowly and opened it wider.___

_"Wow." The room was gorgeous. It was simple but a nice blue. It was relaxing. It had a big balcony.___

_"Ahem. What are you doing in my room?" Stella closed the door fast and turned to be faced by a very handsome looking boy. He had a smirk on his face, making him look hotter than he was.___

_"I…I'm sorry. Really." The boy shook his head and opened the door again, making way for her to enter.___

_"It's alright. I'm Eric." She nodded, smiling.___

_"Stella." Eric entered in his room, signaling for her to do the same.___

_"It's ok. You can come in. I don't bite." He smirked and his eyes got a fiery red. "Except when I'm thirsty." Stella rolled her eyes and entered, closing the door behind._


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Jackass**

Nate woke up because of someone shaking him. He opened his eyes to see the librarian watching him with worry.

"Are you ok? You spaced out completely! I called you a few times!" He shook her hands off and got up. It was weird because the last memory wasn't even his. He was connected toStella, they are siblings, but it seems this connection is stronger than he imagined. He looked for the last time at the picture of him and Stella and turned the page, back to the Arche family.

"Eric Arche…He looks familiar…" the librarian nodded.

"He looks exactly like one of our citizens. His name is Eric Vernon. He's a great kid. He comes here often." Nate raised his head and looked intrigued at the woman.

"Why? What does he do?" The librarian put a finger to her lips and thought.

"Actually, it's really weird. He's looking for hours at this family document. He's staring at the same face." Nate raised an eyebrow.

"Whose?" The woman opened the document back to the page Nate just spaced out.

"Stella Blanche." She said pointing to the picture. Nate closed the book hard, scaring the librarian and got up. Now things were deeply covered by mist.

At school, Stella got over the boring lessons without doing much. The day was going really slow.

"Hey! Wakey, wakey! It's lunch." Stella rolled her eyes at Tracy. She was way too happy and optimistic and hyper for someone sane.

"What happened to you? Was the party last night too much?" Stella narrowed her eyes at Sami, while the girl simply laughed. "Though, I've seen Nate. That guy can drink, no joke." I nodded staring at my sandwich.

"Oh, oh. Have you heard the news? There's going to be a one day camp tomorrow. It sounds like fun, so?" I looked at Sami who looked at Ana who looked back at me.

"I don't know…" Ana trailed. Sami's eyes weren't on us anymore, they were trailing behind us. I looked over to see Eric. I turned my head fast and closed my eyes. Sam raised an eyebrow.

"Aren't you going to invite him over?" I looked at her like she has grown another head.

"Yeah. Do it. I want to see something." I rolled my eyes and walked over the table Eric was. When I arrived he didn't look up. He already knew I was there, though.

"Hy…" I mumbled. He didn't look up this time either. "Eric?" Nothing. I turned my head to my friends and shrugged.

"You should go to your friends, Stella." I raised an eyebrow and looked at him. He moved his head to one side and started watching outside. I started walking back to the three girls until I heard, even if it was a good distance away, him mumbling. "Silly girl."

"Well?" I shrugged.

"He didn't even look at me." Tracy's smiled faded.

"But you talked a lot yesterday."

"Well…things change." Tracy and Ana looked at each other worried while Sami's eyes went back to Eric.


	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: The Endless Knot**

After school I went directly home, tired and, for some weird reason, paranoid. I felt someone watching my every move but every time I looked behind, there wasn't anything.

"I'm home!"

No one responded, sign that dad wasn't home yet. I walked upstairs and directly to my room. I jumped on my bed and sighed. This day freaked me out. I put my hand under the pillow and felt something like metal. I took it out to see a pendant in the form of a knot. I watched it closely, inspected it and found something. Two initials.

"S…and N…"I jumped and put it behind my back when I heard the front door open. I heard someone's steps on the stairs, ascending, and soon enough, Nate's face appeared at my doorway. "Where have you been? You sure weren't at school."

He didn't say a word, just stared.

"Just, around." I beckoned him to come and sit next to me on the bed. He complied, even if it was terribly slow.

"Remember what happened in the morning?" I nodded.

"Have you found anything?"

Nate stared at Stella's face, not sure if he should tell her or not. In the end he chose the latter of options. It wasn't the time yet. She would get scared.

"No. Just old documents about the town."

I nodded, a little unconvinced.

"Have you talked with Eric?" I shook my head.

"He said I should go back to my friends." Nate raised an eyebrow and started spacing out. I stood there, the newly found pendant in my hand.

"It's weird, isn't it?" I looked up at Nate. He was staring at something outside my balcony. "We just moved here and things happen."

"Like what? This thing with Eric? That's nothing."

Nate shook his head. "Stella, we've been here for about three days and people went missing. It may sound like a horror movie but their bodies haven't been found." I chuckled.

"And we're vampires, right? I'm Bella and you're Edward, right? Or I'm Elena and you're Stefan…and Eric is Damon or what?" While I was making fun of the situation Nate glared at me.

"I'm serious! This is not one of your stupid fictional books!" I flinched. I've never seen Nate so stressed in my life. He took a big breath and let it out slowly, closing his eyes. When he opened them, there was something else. His green eyes were fiery and not in a good sense.

"Nate…?" I couldn't put my hand on his back because I felt my hand burning. I opened it to see the pendant burning my skin. It was red, like fire. I dropped it on the bed and it slowly turned back to its original color. Nate's eyes were now on the pendant as well. He tried to hold it but it was still hot.

When he finally got a hold of it he glanced at me.

"This is the Endless knot. An ancient symbol representing the interweaving of the Spiritual path, the flowing of Time and Movement within. Which is Eternal. An eternal binding. What's this?" He took it closer to his eyes and inspected it. "S…and N." His eyes opened wide. "S…" His eyes traveled to me. "Stella." I looked at him curiously. "And N…from Nathan. Everything makes sense…Stella and Nathan, bound to an eternal brotherhood…" I raised an eyebrow. "Where did you get it from?"

I shrugged. "I found it under my pillow when I arrived home." He nodded. For him, everything made sense. It would be sweet if he would tell me what he was thinking too. While being in my own thoughts I didn't realize Nate was getting up and walking to the door.

"Oh. I'm sorry for blowing up like that."

I smiled and winked. He shook his head while smirking and left, the pendant going with him. This day can't get weirder.

It was late at night when I felt watched again. I looked in every direction but I couldn't see anything. There was nothing wrong with my room but still, something was different. I got up from the chair, I was doing homework, and walked to the balcony. When I opened the doors I felt paranoid again, the feeling of someone watching me intensified.

I heard a noise and turned to see the ouroboros pendant glow a fiery red again. Hearing something drop, I turned back to see water, no, blood. I screamed. Nate was by my side in the next second.

"Stella! Are you alright?"

I was on my knees shaking. I didn't know blood made me so weak, it clearly didn't before. I was staring at the place I previously saw the blood, but there wasn't any. Nate's arms were tightly around my still shaking shoulders. "Stella?" I shook my head and kept it down.

"What's happening, Nate?" I raised my head and looked in the distance. "I feel…different. Since we moved here I feel watched. I've always been able to feel presences before seeing them but now…it drives me crazy." Nate sighed and hugged me close.

"I know. I'm sorry. Everything will be alright. I promise you." I nodded and let myself lay on Nate's chest, feeling safe.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Leviathan**

It was weird. I was alone in a black space. I already knew I was dreaming, but it still freaked me out a bit.

_Monster_

I turned to see no one. I could have sworn I heard a voice.

_Monster!_

I glanced behind to see blood drooping, forming a huge puddle on the floor.

_I hate you!_

I knew these words. I gasped when the scenery changed.

_Stella was in a mansion, her eyes bloody red. Nate was next to her, his eyes the same color.___

_"Stella…don't go…" The boy, Eric pleaded with the girl. He had small minute cuts on his face and a large wound on the chest. He was also stumbling on his feet. Stella smirked.___

_"Eric, Eric, Eric…such a noble soul you've been. You said you loved me…how foolish I was to believe you. You left me for her. Well, now she's dead and you're alive. Let's see how this will work out. Be grateful that I won't kill you." Stella glared and walked away. However, Nate went over to Eric and took him by his shirt.___

_"When you met Rebeca you left Stella without thinking. Do you know who killed her for good, Eric? It was me. I killed her for Stella's happiness. Rebeca wasn't a Blanche, she was adopted." Eric's eyes widened. "I hated her because she hated Stella. My only sister is Stella and you just broke her heart. You deserve to die by her hands." He smirked. "Like your brother and our parents." Nate dropped Eric and flashed away.___

_Outside the mansion was sitting Stella, her eyes back to their original green. When Nate walked next to her he saw tears dropping on her face. His eyes softened.___

_"I wish I could go back in time and change everything I've done." Nate sighed and took Stella in a one hand hug.___

_"You haven't done anything wrong, Stel." She gave a forced laugh.___

_"Half of my life I lived like a princess, until I blew up. I was drowning in my own feelings and now look what I've caused. I killed our parents, I killed Chris and I made you kill Rebeca. And it's not just Eric's fault. I've always had everything but the reality was I had nothing. I never knew what real friendship or real love was. I just had you."___

_Nate's arm tightened around her shoulder.___

_"Stop with this bullshit. I killed Rebeca because she destroyed our lives." Stella sighed.___

_"Just mine. She messed with my head. She faked her death because she didn't want to marry the Arche and when she had seen Eric she decided to fuck with my life and get back what she was supposed to have. Eric liked her and…forgot about me. I should've killed her myself."___

_Nate shook his head.___

_"Stella, when will you understand that you are my life?" He took his pendant off. "See this? The endless knot. We'll be siblings forever, we're bound to an eternal brotherhood." Stella's head bent down.___

_"I'm destined to an eternal fight. I will always be a leviathan, no matter what will happen in the future. I will always endure pain and blow up at one point."__  
><em>_Nate sighed but didn't say anything._

I opened my eyes at the sound of my phone ringing. I sighed and responded.

"I hope you're ready for a big announcement!" I flinched, hearing the bright and happy voice of Tracy.

"What?" My voice was groggy.

"Don't tell me you were sleeping."

I opened my mouth to say something but she started talking again. "However, move your ass here. Today is that camp thing! Eric will be there…I think." I rolled my eyes. After my dream I didn't think I wanted to see him.

"Don't we have school?" Tracy sighed.

"It's Saturday, silly! Now put something cute on and, please, use make up. There will be half of the town."

I rolled my eyes again but managed a small smile.  
>"Fine. Anything else?"<p>

She coughed.

"Take Nate too. Ana has a small crush on him." I gasped and laughed.

"You're joking, right?" She started to chuckle.

"No. Now I'll let you get ready. Be at the Screen in an hour?" I agreed. The Screen was actually a big publicity screen in the center of the town. I closed the phone and put it on my nightstand, but didn't get out of bed. I drew my knees close to my chest and rested my arms on them.

"Leviathan…" I mumbled.

When I arrived at the Screen I was with Nate, who wasn't in a great mood after the latest events. I caught him glancing at me again.

"Relax, Nate. It's just a day in the woods with our friends. Nothing bad can happen." He rolled his eyes. I bet he wanted to say something about this whole thing but a squeal interrupted us.

It was Tracy.

"I'm so excited! This will be a lot of fun!" I smiled, nudging Nate to do the same. He gave a tiny one, but it was good enough for now. We climbed in our cars and drove to the forest. The camp would take place there. When we arrived, I looked with a shocked expression out of the window.

"Wow. She didn't joke when she said half of the town would be here."

Nate was still in his thoughts. I rolled my eyes and got out of the car. In one moment Tracy, Ana and Sam were right next to me. Tracy was beyond excited, Ana was in her own little world, maybe thinking about Nate, and Sam was bored. We walked in silence towards the others. The mayor was there too, announcing the start of the camp.

"Why are they making such a fuss? It's just for a day." I said out-loud, not really addressing someone in particular.

"A day and a night."

I turned to see Eric. I raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, so now we're talking again?" He shook his head, a small smirk visible even if it was almost unnoticeable. He glanced back for a second and left. I wanted to see what he was looking at. It was Nate. He had a serious face, his eyes cold. I shivered seeing those green orbs so icy.

When the mayor finally ended his speech I went in an adventure, trying to find my friends. Fortunately, they found me faster.

"Come on! We have to go to our place." I looked at Sam.

"Our place?" She shrugged.

"Of course. We reserved it…well, I did." We walked in nothing but silence. Tracy was talking nonstop, no joking.

"Are we there yet?" I asked, my ears bleeding. Tracy nodded, unfazed by my tone. We stopped in a deserted place. There were just trees and weed and other things forests have.

"Isn't it a little too far?" Ana asked, her voice shaking a little. It seemed she didn't like nature. I didn't either but something there was different. Familiar, even. I looked at Nate who had the same expression as me.

"No. Don't be afraid. Nothing happens in this town. It's so boring." I glanced at her.

"What about those crimes?" She scoffed.

"I bet they're just false information thrown in by the media. Mayor Wood is obsessed with fame. He wants his little city to become the next New York, who knows." She was talking like everything was as normal as it could be. That girl was very optimistic, always thinking positive.

"Bullshit," I heard Nate mumble under his breath. I chuckled.

While the teenagers were installing their tent, deeper into the forest, Eric lay on a branch, his eyes closed. He opened them when he felt someone walking over.


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Halfway to the Truth**

"What do you want?" Eric asked out loud, coldly. He already knew that person was a vampire. Also, the evil smirk on the vampire's face was a pretty visible clue. He flashed in front of Eric.

"What do I want? Well…let's see…" He put a thinking face. "I want a new car –maybe a Mercedes CL class, freedom, blood, oh…and your little friend…" He licked his lips.

Eric punched the vampire so hard, he flew into two trees. He didn't waste any time, he wanted to kill that bastard. The vampire just smirked.

"Leave her alone," he said through greeted teeth.

"She's beautiful. Even more than before, in the 1890's. Stella Blanche, a vampire girl you could actually die for. From a pretty princess she transformed herself into a true devil." His smirk grew. "I guess we should thank you for this." Eric's grip loosened, his head lowering. "It must be hard to be in your place right now. To be so close to the one you loved for centuries, yet so far. But, if I know the story correctly, you left Stella for her older sister, Rebeca."

Eric turned around, his eyes closed tightly.  
>"I loved Stella."<p>

The vampire rolled his eyes.

"Sure, sure. And when an older, fiery vampire used her charm on you…" He flashed close to Eric's ear. "You forgot her."

Eric was very tense in that moment. His fist was stark white. "I never stopped loving her."

The vampire raised his eyebrow.

"Really, Eric? Really? You blamed Stella when Rebeca died. I guess it was her fault. She made Nathan kill her. She couldn't stand the idea of her adopted sister's filthy blood on her hands. Nathan did it, of course. He loved Stella more than anything. He was and still is her brother." He started walking in circles around a mad Eric. "She changed, she's wiser now, but the love she had for you is still somewhere deep down…if it is anymore. Stella Blanche…I would bang her anytime."

Eric's eyes opened and glared daggers at the vampire.

He heard another chuckle from the vampire. "She's not stupid, she's feisty…" He licked his lips again. "I like it when they're opposing. When they try to escape. When they struggle and scream, pleading to stay alive."

He flashed behind Eric again. "Don't you, Eric? Don't you want to hear her screaming for help, to see her tasty blood running down her smooth legs…to bang her senseless…to tame the…leviathan."

It was enough for Eric. His eyes changed from blue to fiery red and punched the vampire again and again. He found a small branch and thrust it through the vampire's heart, killing him in an instant. He turned around and walked where he knew Stella was. While walking, he couldn't stop thinking about what that filthy creature said. How right his words were, annoyingly.

He left Stella, he made her blow up from so much fury and hurt. It was his fault that Chris died and, most importantly, it was his fault that Stella suffered so much, and suffers even now, after more than 100 years.

In the tent Stella couldn't believe how much Tracy could talk. She was sitting on her butt, a bored Nate leaning on her shoulder.

_Stella's POV_

"Will she stop soon?" Nate mumbled loud enough just for me to hear. I chuckled. I couldn't believe how many were there with us. The tent was a medium-sized, nine people occupying it. Beside me was Sami with her new crush, Shane, on Nate's other side were Roy and Greg, opposite me and my brother were Tracy, Ana, who was pretty much gazing at Nate, Riley, a girl I just met, and Tracy's best friend, Austin. It was weird, they all seemed so silent at school and too cool for anyone, yet they were friendly and nice.

"So, I told Jamie that we couldn't be together anymore and he blamed Eric, but it wasn't his fault." I raised my head immediately.

"Eric? The Eric from school? The silent and…" She nodded.

"Yes, yes. Maybe it sounds impossible but Eric was a very out-going guy." Riley nodded.

"True. He was a flirt. I think he had a few girlfriends just in that time." Nate raised his eyebrow.

"What's a 'few' for you?"

They all shrugged.

"10 or 12…more or less." I was surprised, no, beyond that. Nate seemed to be too. We glanced at each other. After that moment people started talking, not letting Tracy interrupt much. She had too big of a mouth.

I stopped when I felt Nate tense up. I gave him a worried glance and he just gave me a reassuring smile. He got up and went outside.

_Normal Narration_

Nate was indeed a little tense, mostly after the number of weird flashbacks and all the events. He felt a presence, he felt Eric walking towards the tent. He had some questions and he wanted answers from the one who caused that mess.

"Eric…" He mumbled, narrowing his eyes at him. Eric knew that look very well and stopped. He sighed and leaned on a tree. Nate walked closer, until he was just a foot away. "You know what I want from you."

"I…don't remember everything. Let's start with what you found out." Nate was a little skeptical but he started talking.

"I went to the library, the woman there told me that you went there every day and stared at one picture of a girl. Stella Blanche. Who is she?"

"A young woman from 1890. She disappeared a long time ago and the citizens thought she's died, as well as her brother, who went with her. But they didn't, everyone was wrong because they didn't know the truth."

Nate glared at Eric.

"And what's the truth?"

Eric smirked. "Vampires. Real vampires that can't survive during the day and hunt for blood as night falls."

While for Nate things couldn't get any weirder, Eric's eyes went red. He walked closer to Nate. "You want to know a secret, Nate? I am a vampire too." He flashed behind Nate.

"It's plain daylight and you are here. You said that vampires couldn't survive the light of the sun." Eric's eyes went back to normal.

"Correct. But, vampires these days found a trick." Nate was shocked when Eric took out a necklace from his pocket, with a weird stone on it. "This is a lapis lazuli stone. It was used in ancient Egypt to create seals. As long as we carry it after us, we can survive the light. But not many vampires have it. It's a rare stone. Most of them have amethysts. Those were used by the ancient Greek people to prevent intoxication.

Also, European soldiers wore amethyst amulets as a protection in battles, believing that the stone could heal people and keep them cool-headed. It's not as strong as Lapis Lazuli but it works. Amethysts have this power of keeping the vampires calm when they see blood. I also have one." Nate was very intrigued by every little word Eric said. Also, the handsome vampire was a little skeptical as to telling Nathan the truth about him.

"Who is Eric Arche?"

"That's me. I found the truth a year ago. I was so furious that I killed my father. That's when I realized what I was and what I could do."

"This also means you're the Eric who broke Stella."

Eric nodded slowly. "What's the story behind that?"

Eric shrugged.

"I don't know everything. I remember how I met you…Stella and Nathan, that I was a vampire even then and my family wanted me to marry Stella, but she was in love with someone else. I didn't love her either but after our parents forced us to spend a lot of time together I started falling for her. I knew she was too…until her sister came back. She started flirting with me and toyed with my head. I was getting closer to Rebeca and far from Stella. I still remember the day I went over to the Blanche mansion. Stella thought I came to apologize…that's when it happened…"

_Eric was on his way to Blanche mansion, his mind going all the time to Rebeca. That vampire was incredible, charming and smart. She got Eric where she wanted just in a few days. He rang just once and Miss Blanche was at the door. She was smiling widely. She had always liked Eric.___

_"Eric, I'm so glad you're here." She invited him in, and started asking about his parents. He smiled and responded to every question, until Nate entered the room. When he saw the guest he glared, his eyes changing from green to red and back to green.___

_"What are you doing here?" His voice was so powerful and mad that anyone could get scared. Eric wasn't an exception but he didn't show it. Nathan ignored the curious glances his mother gave him and walked to Eric. "You're going to destroy her. Piece by piece she's falling and you did this. Don't make things worse and leave." Eric felt in like the most ashamed man in the world. Still, he couldn't deny the attraction he felt for Stella's sister.___

_And there was Stella, still. She was a nice, lovely and innocent girl, but she was a vampire and she was nothing like one. She couldn't even go and hunt! Rebeca was the opposite of Stella and he liked this.___

_"Eric!" The vampire turned to get in a tight hug from Rebeca. He smiled and returned the hug. Unfortunately, Stella came down too and saw the scene between the two. Her heart ached.___

_"Eric…" She mumbled. Nate glared at both vampires and went to his sister. Miss Blanche was already gone, searching for her husband. Eric's eyes traveled to Stella's sore ones. She looked beautiful outside even if she was horrible inside. Rebeca, like always, didn't care about the younger vampire, but Eric's heart ached too and for a moment he felt that love again. It disappeared when Rebeca tangled her fingers in Eric's.___

_"I'm sorry." These words Eric just couldn't stop saying out-loud. These were also the words that made Stella completely broken.___

_"Sorry? You're sorry! That's all you can say? Every single time? I'm sick of this, Eric!"___

_That was also when Eric broke too.__  
><em>_"It's all about you, isn't it? You're the youngest member, the princess, and you always get what you want! Things aren't always going to be easy like that, Stella. Grow up! You're such a baby! Wake up! You are a vampire! Do you know what that means? Do you know what a vampire is? A parasite, a hunter, a bloodsucker! You can't even look at blood! I don't know how you live! I bet you didn't even know you drink blood!"___

_Stella's head bent down. Eric was right. She was just a pussy, worse than a human._

"That's when things changed, drastically. Stella wasn't the Blanche princess anymore. She changed her way of living. She was different. That's all I know."

Nate was surprised.  
>"So it is your fault."<p>

Eric's head bent down, the hair covering his eyes.


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10: Attacks**

Back in the tent, Stella was a little worried but that didn't stop her from going over to Ana and have a little fun.

_Stella's POV_

"So…you have a crush on my brother?" Ana's checks went deep red.

"What makes you think that?" I shrugged.

"Don't know. Maybe you staring at him, thinking we don't see it?" Ana blushed harder.

"Has he noticed?" I shook my head.

"Lately, he has a lot of things to think about." Ana nodded, a little bit disappointed. Nate was so deep in his research that he would definitely ignore Ana or any other girl. Plus, he has always been a flirt and I'm not sure if Ana would accept this.

"You should talk to him, get to know him. He's very different than what you imagine. You might not like him as much after." She nodded, the disappointed look still there. At least I was fair.

"Shane! Ow!" Everyone turned their heads to look at Tracy.

"What happened?" Sami asked, going closer.

"I wanted to go to Austin but because the tent is a little…small I tripped and fell on Shane. Look what you did!" I trailed my eyes over where Tracy was pointing. It was just a scratch but this didn't stop the blood spilling out. I started having a sick feeling, but in a good way. My eyes were on the blood, a small amount but still, it was…weirdly enough, tempting me. I licked my lips, unconsciously.

Like in one horror movie, we heard a branch cringe. I got out of the trance and looked at the worried teenagers around me. I couldn't figure why they stopped abruptly. Then, I felt it. A presence, and it was slowly approaching. The boys were tensed and the girls were clinging to one another or one of the boys.

I stood there, alone on my own side, the presence fading. I sighed, moment when I felt the presence again, very close. Everything happened in slow motion for me. Something took the tent, maybe the wind, and the teenager girls started yelling.

"Stop yelling. It was just…" Greg was taken by something above. The girls started yelling again, this time, running around too. I couldn't believe how calm I was.

"Let's stay together! Don't run!" Sami started but no one listened. Eventually everything calmed down and we were sitting together near a tree, not far from where we set camp.

"Something took Greg. I can't believe it." Tracy was in Roy's arms, Sami was in Shane's and Ana was in Austin's arms. Riley was shaking slightly but she was calmer than the others.

"Maybe it was a bear." Riley rolled her eyes.

"It took him from above. Plus, in these woods there aren't any bears." Tracy started shaking harder. I closed my eyes. I didn't know how to tell them that the presence was still there somewhere.

"I'm scared." Sami finally chocked out. They all nodded slowly. I opened my eyes and sighed.

"Maybe if we stay in silence then, whatever that was will go away." Unfortunately for them, Greg's body dropped on the ground. Again, girls started yelling. Greg's body was bloody and his eyes were still open. Riley, the one who was shaking the less, went to close Greg's eyes, even if she was a little freaked out. When she finished, she turned to us and smiled sadly. Until, something took her too.

"What's happening?" Tracy yelled again. I got up and went closer to Greg's body. "Stella! Are you crazy? Haven't you seen what happened to Riley?"

I nodded to a very worried and scared Tracy but I couldn't stop the curiosity. I watched above to see just the sky, there were black clouds, indicating there will be a storm later. I looked in the right and in the left and everywhere. Nothing. There was nothing. Until I felt it again.

"Stella!" I turned to look at them, time when something came from behind. I turned to see everything happen in a second. Something pushed me hard, making me fly back into a few trees. But, I was still alive. And it didn't even hurt as bad as it should. The thing that killed Greg and Riley flashed in front of me. I could see it was a boy and he had red eyes and fangs.

When he got closer he wanted to stab me or kill me in some way but he stopped.

"Stella?" I was shocked, he was shocked.


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: New Acquaintance**

"Stella?" I was shocked, he was shocked. His eyes changed from red, to blue and stare in awe. "Stella!" He hugged me! I shook my head and pushed him away.

"What do you think you're doing? Who are you? What are you?" The boy's eyes got curious. He left a distance between us and I could finally see him. He was as tall as Nate, maybe taller, he was fit and had a black shirt and jeans. His black hair was messy and his eyes were a wonderful blue. You could actually get lost in them. He gave a goofy smile and scratched the back of his head.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot you don't remember. Well, nice lady, I am Alexander Smith, but you've always called me Alex…or Drake, for some unknown reason. Or it was Dino? I don't remember. It's gone a long time since then."

He had seen how lost I was, because he chuckled. "Sorry, sorry. I'll make it as simple as I can. I'm Alex and I'm a vampire. I've been your best friend since I can remember but then, Cameron erased your memories and you've left with that vampire slayer. Weird, huh?" I nodded very slowly.

"You're freaking me out."

He started chuckling again. He went near a tree and sat. He patted the place next to him. Normally, I wouldn't go and sit near a weird stranger but I felt…familiarity. I went and sat down.

"Let's take it slowly." I nodded. "Have you had weird flashbacks with a girl who looks like you, named Stella and a boy who looks like your brother, named Nathan?" I nodded, curious how he knew about that. "These persons are actually you and your brother. It really happened somewhere in 1897. Those flashbacks are memories. Pieces of your past." I rolled my eyes.

"Do you really think I believe this?"

He shrugged. "I guess not. But, look at your necklace. That ouroboros. Do you know who gave it to you?" I shook my head.

"That's because you have the feeling you have it from a very long time." I nodded. "I gave it to you. It means immortality. You're an immortal." This Alex guy touched the ouroboros and I flinched.

_"I've got you a present!" A boy, who looked like Alex told Stella. He took something from his pocket. It was a silver pendant. "This is an ouroboros. It's a serpent touching its own tail. It represents immortality. You're a vampire, you can't die. Sometimes I wish I could be one too." Stella looked softly at her friend. She hugged him and kissed him on the check.___

_"It's beautiful." Stella whispered, inspecting the pendant.___

_"After 1000 years I won't be here anymore, I bet everything will change but not you. I want you to remember me and through this pendant I will be immortal too. An immortal memory." The girl's smile faded. Her only friend and he's a human.___

_"Maybe not." Alex raised his eyebrow. He didn't have time so say anything because Stella titled his head and pushed her fangs through his neck._

"That day you also changed me. After I made you feel like shit, I guess I deserved it." He chuckled while my eyes were still on the pendant.

"I remember…" I whispered. "I mean, I had a flashback." I looked up at him. "You have blood on your face." I stopped realizing what I said. "You killed my friends?" He smiled nervously.

"Well, I need to feed right?" I nodded and I stopped. I shook my head.

"But they were my friends! Were you going to kill everyone?" He shrugged.

"Well, yes. But I didn't." He said proudly, raising his finger and pointing it at me. "We can say you saved them. I was ready to kill you, but…you're Stella." I rolled my eyes at his logic.

"My friends probably think I'm dead." He shrugged.

"Sorry to tell you this princess, but you are dead. You've been for a long while." I raised my eyebrow.

"You're not making me feel better." He shrugged again.

"I don't intend to. I'm realistic. You were born in…um…eighteen nighty and…um…a long time ago." I chuckled shaking my head.

"If I'm a vampire, why don't I shine in the light? Why don't I die in the light? Why can I enter in the church? Why don't I have golden or red eyes? Why don't I kill people like you for blood? Why…" I stopped when Alex put a hand over my mouth.

"I got it. Well, dear Stella, we're not in Twilight nor in any other vampire book. Though some things that I've seen in movies are half real. For example, vampires can't go out on days, the sun light kills us but we found a trick to survive. There are two stones which save us. Lapis Lazuli, which is rare and Amethyst. Most vampires use amethyst, including me. But I think you have both. If I remember correctly, your parents melted somehow a Lapis stone and put it in the ouroboros. They did the same with your brother, but I don't know for sure what's his pendant. I think it's an endless knot…" I immediately raised my head. "So that's it. He found it." I nodded.

"It has our initials on it." Alex nodded.

"S and N, an endless knot. Bound to a forever brotherhood, or something like this. Your brother used logic too much. How is he now?" I chuckled.

"He has been everywhere. In hospitals, jail." He started laughing.

"I think I'd like this new Nate. He sounds cool." I rolled my eyes and chuckled.

"What about my other questions?" He got up and turned to me.

"First, we're not in a fairytale. I don't know if in this big, big world, witches and werewolves are real and I don't care, truthfully. I do know there aren't too many vampires alive. You can actually count them on your fingers. 30 in total. However, there is a small amount which does this idiotically thing with animal blood. They've been reading too many books. The rest are normal." I nodded. "Shining in the light is a pure stupidity. Vampires don't shine at all. You can enter in church. We all can. Where did you hear this thing, anyway?" I shrugged. "No vampire has golden eyes. Your eyes change in red if you're hungry or when you attack. Also, you can use it whenever you want to scare someone." He flashed in front in a second, his evil vampire face on. It didn't scare me. Not even a little. He narrowed his eyes. "You should be afraid." I shook my head and he sighed. "I've been watching you for the past decades, caring about your safety and this is how you repay me?" I got up myself and raised an eyebrow.

"You weren't there. You didn't even know where I was or if I was alive." He titled his head in one side.

"Details, details." He trailed while coming closer.

"So, what now? Do you want to go searching for the tooth fairy?" I asked, amused. He glared playfully and pushed me. I fell and he just ran with his super speed. "Not fair! I can't do that…" I mumbled the last part, pouting. I didn't understand why he just left until I heard someone yelling after me. It was Sami's voice. "I'm here!" I yelled, signaling them I was alive.

"My God! You're alive! I'm so glad!" Sami and Ana both took me in a big hug.

"Where is Tracy?" Ana smiled sadly. "Is she dead, too?" Sami shook her head.

"No, thank God. No one died after that incident. By the way, what happened?" I tried to look half scared, knowing they won't buy the thing with my past and Alex.

"It was indeed an animal. It was um…a…wolf." I tried covering up but I'm a bad lire.

"Wolf?" Ana asked again, unsure. I nodded, pretending to be scared, again. For me it seemed like they bought my lie, surprising me.

"What happened after I was pushed?" Sami rolled her eyes.

"Tracy fainted. And when we tried to come after you, Riley's body was hanging in a tree. Austin fainted." I was a little amused, even if she was serious. "Shane and Roy called 911 and the ambulance came too. They're back home. This camp thing was a bad idea." I nodded. It was indeed. We lost two friends and we were just in the nearby woods.

When I got back home, dad was more than worried, mostly because I was in a police car.

"What happened?" He gave me that parental look and I silently went inside. I had a lot in my mind.

That night I couldn't sleep at all. Nate wasn't home and it was midnight, freaking dad out. I sighed and closed my journal, leaving it on the desk. I went on the balcony. It always calms me down. I closed my eyes and I felt someone sneaking behind. I turned to see Alex.

"This" He pointed to him. "Was supposed to scare you. Aren't you surprised to see me here? Or even a little curious how I got here?" I shook my head. He rolled his eyes and jumped on the bed. "You're no fun." I chuckled.


	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Caduceus**

"This," He pointed to himself. "Was supposed to scare you. Aren't you surprised to see me here? Or even a little curious how I got here?" I shook my head. He rolled his eyes and jumped on the bed. "You're no fun."

I chuckled.  
>"So I've been told. However, I am curious why you are here?" He shrugged.<p>

"Now that I think of it, I don't really know. Eric told me where you were." I raised an eyebrow.

"Eric?" He nodded.

"Of course. I live in the same house as him. The old Arche manor, huge and beautiful. But the Blanche one was much cooler." I went next to him, on the bed and leaned on the wall.

"But…why?" He looked at me and sighed.

"You're in danger, Stel. See this?" He said and took out another pendant. "It's the Caduceus. For short, the messenger of bad news. I found it a few days ago in New York. That's why I came here, looking for Eric. I knew he killed Cameron and he found out the truth, even if not entirely. I also had a very interesting dream…"

I cut him off instantly.  
>"Dream? I thought vampires didn't sleep." He nodded.<p>

"True. Until we found these two stones. They've been found a few years ago, one of the reasons the vampire race slowly lessened.

Some vampires would do anything to become human again. I'm not one of them." He smirked. He raised and got up. He started walking through my room, inspecting everything. "But these stones give us the chance to live like a human. Sleep, eat, go out at night and day but this doesn't mean we're not still vampires." He caught a glimpse of something interesting, because he started smirking. "What do we have here…"

Oh, no.

"A diary. Let's see…" He flipped through the pages. _"Dear diary…I feel like shit."_ He raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "It starts off interestingly enough." I rolled my eyes and tried to get it back but he was taller. _"I can't believe my best friend has done this to me. I know I've been here for a short period and I already know we'll move again but_ dot, dot, dot _I'm even surprised that Lucas accepted. I knew Christine liked him but why didn't she tell me the truth? That she is indeed jealous. She didn't have to steal my boyfriend."_ He chuckled. "Harsh." I rolled my eyes again.

"You think? Now give it back." I tried to jump him but he got away, he used his super speed to get up on the bed.

"Next…_Dear diary, today was weird. Dad and mom started yelling out of nowhere. They usually make up and kiss and everything comes back to normal, but not this time. Nate told me to go to my room and forget what was happening downstairs but how could I?"_

I bent my head down. That was right before mom left. That night changed mine and Nate's lives. "It seems your 'mom' left, huh? Do you want to know how your real mother was?" I nodded and went on the bed, opposite him. "She was really beautiful. She had light brown hair, blue eyes and had this way of being very professional. She hated mistakes, that's why the Blanche family became nobility fast. It was one of the most important families in the town and everything the mayor would do had to be accepted by the two families. Your mother was an example for a lot of girls. She was nice, caring, lovely, she never stopped impressing everyone. She loved you a lot and she didn't want that arranged marriage for you."

"But what happened? And who's Rebeca?"

"Oh, right…Vampires usually can't have children. However, if the male has sexual relationships with a female human she can get pregnant. Your father transformed your mother a long time ago. Maybe even 1000 years ago. Your parents haven't been born when the documents said they were. Your mother got pregnant with Nate 30 years before you."

"So Nate's older than me by 30 years? And not one?" He nodded. I gasped. "But this means I'm older than 100 years?" He put up a thinking face.

"Yes. You were 40 when we met. And I was just 23 years old. Your parents moved here and they managed to make false documents so people wouldn't get suspicious. Blanche and Arche were the only vampires in Firehole. Haven't you ever asked yourself why you and Nate knew French so well? And why sometimes when you talk you have a weird accent?" I shook my head. "Your mother is from France and your father is from England. They met when um…there was a war. Your father was hungry and that's how he met your mom."

"How do you know all this stuff about my parents?"

He shrugged. "I had time. I've always wanted to know more about you. After you disappeared, I wanted to find you but thought again. I traveled a lot through Europe and found small documents about a Beatrice Blanche and an Aaron."

"Just Aaron?"

He nodded. "He took my mother's name because he didn't have one?"

He nodded again.

"Then…" I got up and started walking across my room. "My…father transformed mom after both me and my brother have been born. Vampires can have children because female vampires can't get pregnant. This Rebeca has been adopted by my family because mom wanted her to get that arranged marriage."

"But when they wanted this, Eric wasn't the one she had to get married with. It was Chris, his older brother. Rebeca was human and she really died, but someone changed her and she came back. When she saw you and the one you were supposed to marry, she thought you took her place and that Eric was supposedly hers. Rebeca kind of died because of her own stupidity. She hated you and she messed with Eric's head. When Eric told you those bad things about you not acting like a vampire you got really mad. You changed.

Me, being also a vampire, tried to help you but you went crazy and became evil. Vampires are evil but you were more like a demon. Vampires aren't demons. They are creatures who live with blood. Like humans live with air."

"If I am a vampire, and my brother is one too, why don't we drink blood?"

He put a finger to his chin and thought. Out of nowhere he went downstairs.

"Hey!" I went in the kitchen to see him looking through the fridge.

"Aha! Found it!" He closed the door to the refrigerator and put two bottles of tomato juice on the table. "What's this?"

"Tomato juice. Dad always puts it in everything we eat."

"Wrong. It's blood. I can smell it." He opened one bottle and took a sip. "It's good. He put blood in everything you eat, not tomato juice." He rolled his eyes. "Tomato juice…huh. No one would drink something like this." I went closer and took a sip from the bottle too. It tasted like blood, and I liked it. "Yummy, huh?" I chuckled and took another sip, and another, and another until Alex took it from me. I surprised even myself when I growled at him.

I could feel something growing in my mouth. I stopped and put my finger over them.  
>"Fangs…" He nodded.<p>

"And that's not all." He took my hand and dragged me to the bathroom.

"Oh my God…my eyes are red." I watched slowly into the mirror to see how my eyes changed back to green and the fangs slowly turned back to normal teeth. "It's incredible. I thought all of these were myths and imaginated things, but it's true…vampires are real…I am a vampire." I was completely stunned while Alex was smirking.

"Now you believe me…? Everything I told you is true. I am real, you are real, Nate is real and Eric is real. These are the vampires from Firehole. In America there aren't many…I think there are a few more in New York and Las Vegas but that's all. Vampires usually like Europe more. So I think…25 vampires are in the United Kingdom, France, Spain, Italy, Greece, Romania and Russia. Also the other 5 from America, plus the unknown ones…I don't know all of them. Do you think people really die out of nowhere? Vampires kill them before they bite them and also…some just take blood from hospitals. Simple like this."

I went slowly back into my room and fell on my bed. I turned on my back and closed my eyes, a smile forming on my lips.

"It's amazing. It's like a whole new world just opened up. I can do anything I want and I won't die easily."

He started chuckling. "But you're not an ordinary vampire, Stella. You are Stella Blanche. Many vampires will come after you. Many want to kill you."

"Why?" He stared incredibly at me.

"Why? Because you killed many people: vampires, families, children. You were the Devil on Earth!"

I glared at him. "Don't yell. Dad's sleeping. Do you want him to find you here?" He shrugged.

"I guess no. He is a vampire slayer." I sighed.

"Why doesn't this surprise me…" He chuckled and went towards the balcony. "Leaving?" He turned his head and nodded.

"I will show you what you can do, tomorrow. It's Sunday and you have the entire day to yourself…I hope. If not, make it available." He jumped out and disappeared. I closed my eyes and smiled. Things were getting weirdly interesting in Firehole. It really shocked me how calm I was. But I guess I always knew something about me had been a total mystery and something in my memory forgotten.


	13. Chapter 13

**Chapter 13: Training Goes Wrong**

Next morning I woke up being very excited. I bounced downstairs to see dad scolding Nate.

"Where have you been last night, Nate?" He shrugged.

"Here, there…"

Dad glared at my brother and grabbed him by the wrist. Nate growled, for real, making dad stumble back.

"Don't touch me." Surprisingly, dad wasn't shocked or afraid. He was just a little taken back. I put my hand on Nate's shoulder and pushed him back. He shook my hand off and went upstairs, most likely to his room. When I turned my eyes on dad, he was sitting at the table, hands in his hair. I took the seat next to him, ready to find out what he knew.

"I'm sorry." He said before I could open my mouth. "You've grown and even if I tried to change you, I can't. I can't change what you are and the truth is so hard to be kept hidden." I sighed.

"What's the truth, dad?" He put his hands down and glanced at me.

"You and Nate aren't my children. Alice isn't your mother. I was young when you and your brother were been given to me. I was a vampire slayer when I was in mid-twenties. My teacher came to me and said I had been requested for a special mission. You two were the mission. I, the vampire slayer, had to take care of two vampires as if they were my children. You looked so young and innocent. I accepted. He just told me your parents died and you need protection. Your memories were erased and everything would turn out alright. Lately, things got out of control though. Nate changed, in a different way than normal teenagers. I'm just waiting now for you to do the same. Your memories…" I stopped him.

"Our memories are slowly coming back. Our past is slowly being revived. This town holds half of our past." He glanced at me sadly.

"I know. That's why I choose this place. I've been doing researches on you and your brother. A vampire told me a few years back about a certain Stella Blanche."

I raised an eyebrow. "What did he tell you about me?"

"Stella…maybe it will sound weird and fictional but…you've killed many people. Humans and vampires."

"I know about vampires and I know I am one. Nate too. I know everything…I met two other vampires." He chuckled.

"I know. Do you think I would've let the vampire from last night alive if I didn't know he was good for you? I talked with Eric's uncle, James. He told me an old friend of yours came to them saying he wanted to protect you." I chuckled. "I can't say I trust him completely. Yesterday, your two friends were killed by a vampire too."

"Yeah…it was Alex. He was ready to bite me when he realized who I was." He looked worried but didn't say anything else.

"I trust you and I trust Nate. You have blood in the fridge in the kitchen and there is a supply of it in the basement. You don't need to kill." I nodded happily. I went and hugged him.

"Don't worry, dad. We know what we're doing. We're old enough." He laughed and nodded. I let go of him and went upstairs, to see Nate.

I knocked once and he didn't respond. I rolled my eyes and opened the door. He was on his back, staring at the ceiling above.

"What do you want?" I went next to the window and watched outside.

"Dad is right. You've changed. You used to be funny and flirty and stupid, but now you're different. You're much colder."

"Maybe I am. I spent the last night at Eric's, talking with his uncle. He told me about you and Eric, about our parents, about Rebecca, everything. He knows something will come and change you, again." I sighed, my eyes still outside.

"And I need protection? I've had my own conversation with Alex last night. I'm sure you met him, right?" He nodded, I could see his reflection on the glass.

"He will train you. I'm sure he can keep you sane and entertained until me and Eric find out what's going on. Don't go for an adventure in the forest alone. Many vampires are searching for you."

I nodded. Nate got off the bed and came behind me. He hugged me from behind, tightly. "I don't want to lose you, Stella." I smiled softly.

"You won't. I promise you." He let go and jumped back on the bed.

"Alright. Now, shoo shoo. I need my beauty nap." I raised an eyebrow and got out, chuckling.

The rest of the day was eventless. I was reading the fourth book of Twilight when someone suddenly took it from me. I glared at a pair of blue eyes.

"This…" He said while going through pages, "This will destroy your brain and imagination. Vampires aren't fairies who cry and wait for their long lost lover. We love, we have a heart, but it doesn't beat anymore. If someone makes us feel loved and we care for someone in a very passionate way, not just sexually, then we…um…our heart doesn't beat but we feel…warm in a way…?" I watched the younger vampire struggling to find his words. It was amusing. He started doing funny faces while thinking and I couldn't stop myself from laughing.

"What?" He looked so cute and amusing.

"You feel warm? Love for vampires is just sex, isn't it? So, I didn't love Eric and neither did he." Alex shook his head. I gasped realizing something. "Did I sleep with him?" Alex stared at me with a serious face until he started laughing his ass off.

"This one was good…No, you didn't." I nodded and sighed, relieved. "But that doesn't mean you're a virgin." I widened my eyes. He flashed behind me, near my ear. "You lost it…to me." I couldn't hear myself breathing, which right now seemed normal.

"R-Really?" He flashed in front of me and smiled.

"Many people always thought you loved me, this is what you'll find out from any book about your family, here in Firehole. They were right. You did love me, but it wasn't the kind of love I wished for."

"What do you mean?" He sighed. It was easy to see it hurt him, surprisingly.

"Stella…I loved you, a lot. I was still human and I knew you were a vampire, that you could kill me anytime, that you had to marry Eric…yet, I still loved you." He came closer. "We've slept together but…I thought it's because you loved me too, although you were just mad. It was when you found out Eric wasn't coming to the Blanche mansion for you anymore. The reason was Rebeca. You were so mad and sad and I guess it was something decided on the spur of the moment. I understood that later and I felt bad. It hurt."

I gasped. I went over and hugged him.

"I'm sorry." He chuckled. Maybe he wasn't really that hurt.

"It was a long, long time ago. It doesn't matter now. I wanted you to be happy so I left you in Nate's hands. Maybe if I was there when you really transformed into the devil on Earth, I would've ended up like Chris or your parents. Chris wanted to calm you but you killed him. Your father started yelling at you and your mother started yelling at him! It was crazy! You killed them just because they were making too much of a deal! Next, you went to the Arche family's residence. Cameron wasn't there, but Eric was. You wanted to kill him too, he was the reason why you went crazy and diabolical after all."

"But I didn't. I wanted him to suffer." Alex nodded. "Wait…how do you know this? You left, right?" I bet if he could, he would've blushed right now. "You were spying…" He closed his eyes and smiled, embarrassed.

"Yes...However, making him live knowing he was the one who actually caused so many deaths. And you suffer. That was his…punishment." I nodded calmly and closed my eyes. I opened them when I felt someone dragging me towards the balcony.

"What are you doing?" He smirked and pushed me. I was falling! I closed my eyes, ready for the pain. I waited, and waited, but there was nothing. I opened my eyes to see myself on my hands and knees, a smirking Alex looking down at me.

"We'll have to work on this. But the position is good." He said pointing to an embarrassed me. I glared at him and got up. "Now we'll see what you can do." I rolled my eyes. He went with his super vampire speed to the forest while I stood there dumbstruck. He stopped and looked back. "Come on Stella! This should come from the inside!" I nodded and closed my eyes. I started walking normally, then started running faster and faster. "Good. Keep it up like this. It shouldn't be hard to wake the vampire within you."

We arrived quickly to a familiar place in the forest. I walked around, fascinated.

"This is…" Alex raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Familiar? Everything is familiar, Stel. You lived here for a good part of your life. Nothing ever scared you and you usually felt calm and happy in Firehole's forest." I nodded. "Now back to business." He went in front of me and simply stood there. I was ready to ask him what he had on his mind when he showed his fangs and his eyes became red. He ran to me and I didn't really know what to do. One thing was clear, though. I wasn't scared, I was confused. In an instant I felt myself being pushed hard in a few trees. I rubbed my head, it hurt a little. "You were supposed to oppose."

I groaned and got up. He was glaring at me but mostly it annoyed me that look. I transformed him, I should be the one kneeling him. I growled and launched myself at him. He didn't have time to react, in no time I had Alex below me, bewildered.

"Good enough?" I asked, a smirk playing on my lips and my eyebrow raised in a smug manner. He nodded, still a little perplexed. I did everything pretty fast. Punch in the stomach, pushed down, another punch in the leg, tight grip on his neck, pushed on the ground and straddle so he can't go anywhere. The result was, apparently, surprising. "Why do I need to be trained, if I already know how to fight?" He pushed me off, easy because I got up willingly.

"You weren't good at fighting when I met you. You couldn't hurt a fly!" I narrowed my eyes and scoffed. "You act more like a vampire, now. You should let it control you sometimes. Flirting and smugness come naturally."

"So does the need of blood. But I resist it." He stared at me without saying a word. When he wanted to say something my phone rang. It was Sam. "What's up?" I heard her giggling on the other side of the line.

_"Nothing much. Ana's holding a sleepover tomorrow night. You coming?"_ I glanced at Alex to see if he had something to object. He looked like he was lost in his own world right then.

"Sure. I don't have anything to do. See you tomorrow at school." I hung up and kneeled to Alex. "I'm going home. If you want something, you know where to find me." I didn't wait for an answer, I just flashed away. It felt good to have such a speed right now. I was hungry and no food or water would stop the thirst that burned my neck right at that moment.

Alex remained still like a statue. Her words got him to think.


	14. Chapter 14

**Chapter 14: A New Beginning**

"She can resist blood…but for how long…" He mumbled to himself. While still thinking he didn't feel Eric coming over. He kneeled to Alex's level, who was leaning on a tree, one knee up. Eric looked closely at the vampire. Hypnotizing blue eyes, messy hair, playful personality. In Eric's eyes, Alex was one typical vampire, he had everything: smug, flirty, charming, dangerous, dark and evil but not entirely. He got up and started walking to Stella's house. On the way, Eric started to remember how Alex waltzed into his house a few nights ago.

_It was late at night, past midnight and Eric was still watching TV in his room. His uncle, who's also a vampire, was downstairs having a drink. James Arche, he choose to keep his name, no matter what people thought. He was one hot brunette vampire and he was acting like one but he had a mature self too. Eric was enjoying his time home, even if his mind would sometimes wonder to Stella. He couldn't believe that girl is the actual young vampire he fell in love with and broke her heart. One gust of wind broke his thoughts. It was coming from the opened balcony. It was weird but he didn't care much. He got up and closed the doors. When he turned around to go back to bed he came face to face with a dangerously looking vampire. It was clear, though, that this vampire was younger than him but still, powerful. His eyes weren't red, they were an interesting icy blue. The feeling Eric got wasn't a positive one for sure.___

_"Eric Arche…I've always wanted to meet you." The stranger started circling the older vampire. "You don't look different at all…" The blue eyed vampire narrowed his eyes at Eric and got close to him. "But this doesn't mean your ways have changed." Eric didn't flinch and this annoyed the other vampire. His eyes changed to red and he punched Eric hard, knocking him over the bed and into the wall. The stranger smirked and sighed contently. "Now I feel much better." Eric glared at him.___

_"Who the hell are you?" The vampire rolled his eyes playfully and smirked.___

_"Aw. You don't remember me, of course. We haven't met before." Eric got up slowly, impressed by the force he had been punched. "I'm…the 'human'" The blue eyed bloodsucker raised his eyebrows and raised his hands, pointing out the quotation marks. Eric looked confused. The truth was that, he never talked with anyone about Stella's friends, not even with her. Seeing Eric's expression, the younger vampire sighed. However, he didn't have time to continue his introduction. James entered the room, looking as he had a headache.___

_"Eric, where are my…" He stopped when he saw Eric on a chair, a little blood on his lip and a little sore and the mysterious vampire. "Oh…you." The bloodsucker raised an eyebrow amused and smirked.___

_"Oh, me. You don't look too important. Do I know you?" James shook his head and entered fully into the room. He leaned on the door and sighed.___

_"You're Alexander Smith…" He mumbled loud enough for both vampires to hear.___

_"I know this, you know this and now Eric, here, found out. Now, your turn." Alex was clearly in a playful mood. Eric glared at him while James simply continued staring.___

_"James Arche, Eric's uncle." Alex's eyes widened a little and smirked.___

_"So you are important. However, I'm not here to announce to you my undead but not really alive existence. I'm here to talk with you about Caduceus." He said and took out from his pocket a silver pendant. James was surprised, not the same thing could be said about Eric who simply sat there, emotionless. "I found it a few days ago in my hotel room in New York while…procreating." He smirked seeing as this attracted another glare from Eric. "What? It doesn't hurt to try." Alex started chuckling seeing as James was too and Eric was still glaring.___

_"You do know what this is right?" James asked the younger vampire, returning to his matured self. Alex gave James a dumb look.___

_"Caduceus is the messenger, duh! I do not think I look as a stupid pupil." Alex said in a matter-of-fact tone.___

_"You'd fooled me." Eric mumbled and smirked, Alex glaring his way. James rolled his eyes. These two would be interesting to watch and hard to contain.___

_"I'm here because something is coming. Something bad and I know it has something to do with this city…" Seeing James and Eric's expressions, Alex realized what's going on and didn't seem to hide the fact that he was shocked. "She's back, isn't she? Stella…"_

Getting out of the flashback, he also remembered the change in Alex's behavior when he found out Stella was back. He could see it, he was happy, relived, concerned even. In that moment he knew Alex is bad news for his relationship with Stella, if there was one anymore. He took a hand through his hair and sighed. He deserved this, he hurt her and now he found out there was someone who even if had done a lot of mistakes and stupid things in his life, he never stopped caring for her.

"It's dad's fault. He erased my memories too." He mumbled to himself, but he knew this was just a pretext for that guilty feeling. He was close to the house and he felt excited and scared. He was also curious if Stella still accepted him as a merely friend, now, after she surely found out pieces of the past.

Back home, Stella was much relaxed after a good shower. She was looking for something to wear when the bell rang. Thankfully, her father was home, not like some other persons-hint to Nate. While changing in a pair of pajama pants and a black shirt she heard someone knocking on the door. It wasn't her father because it sounded more aggravate and it wasn't Nate because he usually entered in without a problem. She finished dressing and opened the door.

"Eric…" She didn't know what to say or how to react. None knew, as a matter of fact. However, she let him in. "So…what are you doing here? I thought you don't want to talk or even stay near me." Eric could see she was still confused and angry about that incident.

"I just wanted to protect you. If you would've hanged out with me, you would've remembered. I didn't want you to hate me." I rolled my eyes and went on the bed.

"Hate? Why would I hate you? I had fun talking with you." He glared at me and started walking closer. He sat on the bed.

"I knew you'll have flashbacks of your past. I hurt you enough and I don't want to do it again." I sighed and got closer to him.

"Eric, what happened in the past stays in the past. I won't judge you. I have my own part of that fault too. I killed a lot of people we both cared for and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I killed your brother, I'm sorry I killed my parents and I'm sorry I killed Rebeca." Eric started chuckling.

"I guess she deserved it." I laughed and without thinking I put him in a small hug. We both stood there like statues, not doing anything. Slowly, he put his hands around me and pulled me closer. I closed my eyes and sighed happily. It felt like I fit perfectly in his arms. "I'm sorry." I finally heard him mumbling.

"It's ok, Eric." We broke the hug and I smiled. "Things changed, we changed. We'll just take things from zero. All of us." He nodded and for the first time, I've seen him smiling truthfully.

"So, how was training?" I rolled my eyes.

"Fine, I guess. He dragged me in a clearing and attacked me." He raised an eyebrow, his eyes showing a little worry. "But I got him back. It was incredible…" I bent my head and looked at my hands. "He was down in just a few seconds…" Eric nodded.

"I'm not worried. You're crazy." I chuckled at how simple he put it.

"Thanks a lot." He started chuckling and I rolled my eyes, smiling. All these things were new to me yet it fascinated me since forever. I, now, knew why. Why I felt so connected to this myth. I've always been part of it.


	15. Chapter 15

**Chapter 15: Control**

While Eric and Stella started bounding again, Nate wasn't feeling too good in his own skin. From some time he felt different, now that he knew he's a vampire made everything seem more complicated. He reacted different than his sister, to blood. His senses catch up to him. Trying to keep his mind off for a while he went to the only place he used to while having problems. The bar.

"A double tequila." The bartender looked skeptical at the boy but got his drink. That's how the night progressed for Nate. A shot, after another and another and another. Even the bartender was surprised how well Nate reacted He wasn't drunk, not even a little. While still being in his own world, Ana walked inside with a few friends. She have seen him immediately and blushed but this was her only chance to talk with him alone.

"Hy!" Nate turned his head and tried to smile. It didn't go as he wished.

"Oh, Ana. What are you doing here?" She shrugged.

"A couple of friends wanted to hang out. I promised I will tag along and here I am." She smiled, happy with the conversation, until now. However, Nate wasn't in the mood. He didn't want to shoo Ana away, though. She has always been sweet and innocent.

"Innocent…" Nate felt something inside. It switched. His brain started working overdrive. It wasn't the drink, no, it was something much powerful. It was blood. He could hear her pulse, which wasn't too hard because she was very close to him. He couldn't deny the easy prey he had in front. He tried reasoning with his desire but who was he trying to stop? He needed it! Then, out of nowhere everything stopped, his conscious more exactly. Everything turned off. "Do you want a drink, Ana? I'll pay." Ana looked closely at her crush, a little perplexed, sincerely. She nodded. How could she refuse, anyway? Nate is a vampire, he had a charm that no boy could compare with. When her drink came, she titled her head in one side, showing a small part of her neck. Unconsciously, he licked his lips. When she turned her head back, smiling, Nate got out of his trance and smirked. Ana instantly blushed.

Back with Eric and Stella, things were how happy they could get. It was close to night and they couldn't figure how the time flew so fast. Stella finally made Eric cook with her. It was a surprise. He actually knew how to. When it was time to leave, or more like when Stella's father dragged Eric to the door in a professional way, both vampires felt something was weird. None commented, however. When Stella went back to her room, guess who was there?

Stella's POV

"Nice." When I opened the door I saw Alex with one of my bras in his hands. I wanted to blush right then but thankfully, I didn't. I walked to my dresser annoyed and took it out from his grasp. I put it back and turned to see a very amused vampire. "It was nice. I like red." I rolled my eyes and jumped on my bed.

"You finally woke from Wonderland?" He raised an eyebrow and jumped on my bed, too. "You completely spaced out in the forest." His mouth made a small 'o' .

"Had fun with Eric?" I smiled, remembering how perfect today has been. He'd seen my happiness and tried looking content but it was easy to see it's false.

"I guess so. It has been one unexpected nice day." He nodded and leaned on the mattress.

"I freaked a little when I haven't seen you anymore in the forest. But then I remembered the phone call you got." I raised an eyebrow, amused.

"I thought vampires don't care…?" He rolled his eyes but this didn't stop the smirk.

"Depends…I don't give a shit about your friends, hell I don't give a damn about anyone except you."

"And Nate." I continued. He gave me a funny look, which I couldn't help but chuckle at.

"Nate is a big boy. He's older than me, you, why should I care what he does or what happens to him?" I put a finger to my lips and concentrated to find a good answer. "Sometimes, it's good not to think. It saves time and knowledge." I rolled my eyes at his illogical response.

"What if he kills someone?" I got really worried for my brother. It's in his blood to do stupid things. Kind of like me but much…closer to illegal.

"And what if he does? I did and nothing happened." He saw everything in such a simple way.

"And what if the police find out vampires live here? And what if they find out who these vampires are?" He shrugged.

"It can be anyone. Plus, people would think is some sadistic cult, Dracula's lovers. No one believe that vampires are real. Simple as this." I sighed and closed my eyes.

"Can vampires transform in bats? That's how you always come in my room?" I heard him choke and opened my eyes.

"I kind of saw this coming. It's the only thing you didn't ask yet." He said looking down at me, slightly chuckling. I scoffed and closed my eyes back. "We can't. I mean, actually I never tried." He raised an eyebrow and looked deep in thought. "You could try. I'll put this on the list." I got up and looked dumbly at him.

"The list? What list?" He put his smirk back on and opened his eyes more.

"What-should-I-make-Stella-do. Or more originally, Alex says list." I shook my head and started laughing. "Right now, Alex says to…spend tomorrow with him. Of course until you go to that stupid girl association." I started laughing more.

"Sleep over." He nodded.

"Right. That's when girls plan on destroying the male specie." I threw a pillow at him and continued to laugh. He started too…alright, it was more like a widened smirk while chuckling, but let's say laugh.

"True. You're too many. We need to get rid of a few." He shrugged.

"From my point of view you can do anything you want. Less stupid and hormonal human males…" He raised his finger and pointed to himself. "More me." He continued smirking while moving his eyebrows up and down. This vampire was something…

"Yeah. I bet you'd screw every girl you found hot." I said jokingly.

"Almost done." My eyes widened and my mouth opened wide. My lips curled in a smile and I pushed him lightly.

"You man-whore!" He faked a sad face and pouted. It didn't last too much, though. He started smirking and got closer to my face. I stopped and watched him.

"You hurt my feelings. I should punish you." That look in his eyes was fiery, those blue eyes were amazing.

"So captivating…" I whispered,slowly raising my hand. His eyes traveled to my lips but came back to my eyes, fast.

"I know you are. But what am I?" He whispered, his lips coming even closer. I raised an eyebrow and pushed him on one side. "Hey!" I rolled my eyes and pushed him harder, making him fall off the bed. He got up fast and flashed in front of me again. "That wasn't very nice." I chuckled and ran to the door but he got there before me. I turned and ran to the balcony. I was still running to the door, and I just jumped on the bed to get there easier. Surprisingly, Alex didn't use his speed anymore. He was between the bed and the door. I tried to flash there but he caught me. We were both chuckling, his grip around me tightening. He pulled me really close, our bodies and noses touching. "Stupid." I raised an eyebrow.

"I know you are. But what am I?" He started chuckling, while I pulled away. It was fun, spending time with Alex.


	16. Chapter 16

**Chapter 16: Victim**

With Nate things weren't really good. Ana was in danger, yet there was she, drinking with her crush.

"You seem more relaxed." He raised an eyebrow at the slightly drunk girl next to him. "You're usually very…strict, calm, reserved. The only person you're talking with is Stella."

"I know. These past few days have been harsh. With moving and things…" She nodded, though Nate wasn't sure if she understood what he said. He called the bartender and paid for another shot.

"I think that's enough for me." Ana said, leaning a little on him. He tensed. He didn't really know how much he could go with this stupidity. He turned his head on one side and sighed, annoyed, and when he faced her again, he had his trademark smirk. She almost melted on that spot and accepted. After she finished, Nate got up.

"Do you want to walk?" She narrowed her clouded eyes at him. Eventually, she nodded. Nate took Ana through the forest, far from the city.

"This is a walk? It's freezing here!" In her drunken state, she almost tripped but Nate caught her. He rolled his eyes and dragged her deeper into the woods. "Where are we going, anyway? How are we going to return to the city?" Nate smirked and pushed her into a tree.

"I'll find my way around." He bent down and kissed her fully on the lips. She responded in an instant. The kiss grew more passionate, Nate's body pressing on Ana's. He lifted her legs, wrapping them around his torso. He broke the kiss and looked down at her. "Do you like me, Ana?" The girl nodded, speechless. "Would you like it if I made your life more interesting?" She nodded again and kissed him. He stopped and leaned in even more, touching her ear with his lips. "I should say I'm sorry" He titled her head on one side. "But I would lie." His voice was husky and evil. His eyes reddened and sank his fangs in Ana's neck. She tried to scream but he put his hand over her mouth. He sank his teeth deeper into the flesh. The girl tried to break free but he was stronger. Eventually, the struggling stopped.

Stella was watching TV in the living room with Alex, who was all over the vampire girl, making her eyebrow twitch.

"Get your hands off." She said while getting his hands off of her. He smiled innocently and sat normally. While watching the movie, something broke. Stella's eyes widened.

"What did I do now?" Alex asked annoyed. She flinched and got up fast, breathing slowly.

"Alex…it feels weird but…My heart hurts. Something wrong happened." He raised and walked close to her. "Oh no…Nate." She flashed in front of his room and knocked. Nothing. She opened the door and again, nothing. Nate wasn't home. She went back in her room and dressed fast. Alex watched Stella a little worried.

"What happened with Nate?" She finished dressing and looked up at him.

"Me and Nate have a strong bond, as you know. My heart started pumping and I felt excited. This means one thing." Alex's eyes widened, finally getting her point.

"Blood." Stella nodded. "Where is Nate, anyway?" Stella stopped midway to the front door and thought. Usually, when he's mad, sad or just wants to forget about his problems, he goes to…

"The bar." Alex nodded and they both flashed out the door. During the ride to Fey's, where Stella was more than sure her brother went, Alex couldn't stop glancing from time to time to her. She was indeed different than thousands years ago and he was more than sure that she could get more dangerous than the last time.

Stella's POV

When we arrived at the bar, I fastened my pace, worried. Nate had done something stupid and I knew it. I stopped a few feet away from the bartender and glanced at Alex.

"Leave this to me." He raised his eyebrow at me, curious while I straightened myself. I made my way slowly to the young bartender and smiled flirty. He caught my eye and smirked.

"Hey, there. Haven't seen you around before" I continued smiling.

"Maybe because I'm a good girl." He chuckled lightly." Do you know everyone here?" He nodded and leaned closer. "Would you do me a favor?" His smirked intensified.

"Depends. What would I get instead?" I shrugged innocently.

"I just need to ask you a little, tiny thing." I said and started doing circles with my finger on his chest. I could feel Alex's eyes boring into my head, amused.

"Anything for you, as long as I get something before."

"And what might that be?" He leaned even closer.

"Just a kiss, maybe a date later." I stopped my actions abruptly. I took a nice grip of his shirt and pulled him closer, our noses touching. My eyes weren't anymore green, from what his eyes were telling me.

"Let's stop these games. I want to know if a guy was here. He has brown hair, blue eyes, he drinks a lot." He didn't say a word, which annoyed me. I narrowed my red eyes and something clicked in his mind.

"There was a guy who bought a lot of alcohol. There was also a girl. They were chatting. He said something about a walk." I kept my gaze firm.

"Who's the girl?" He flinched when my grip tightened.

"Anastasia Whirl." I pushed him away, making him almost fall, and thought about this name. It sounded familiar. That's when I figured.

"Ana!" I whispered. I glanced back to Alex, my eyes wide and worried. I walked out faster, Alex right next to me.

"So, where are we going?" I stopped and looked around. I sighed.

"I'm not sure. He has to be somewhere in the forest, somewhere dark…I don't know. Where would you take a girl to suck her blood?" I asked turning to him. He smirked and his blue eyes glistened. He took my hand and flashed into the forest. He took me deep into the woods. It was cold, the wind blowing was harsh and it just felt wrong. I fastened my pace and arrived in a small clearing. There was a body near a tree. I walked there, step after step my heart beating faster and faster. I bent down and turned the girl around, to see her face.

"Ana!" I whispered, shocked. "I can't believe it." Alex came behind me and put a hand on my shoulder. I couldn't believe my eyes. She has been bitten…by Nate! My brother, blood from my blood, have just killed an innocent life. And Ana admired Nate so much. She has been killed by her crush. "She's dead…" I mumbled.

"Do you want me to get rid of it?" I shook my head, my disappointed look boring into Ana's body.

"Leave." It sounded like a mumble which made Alex lean closer. "Leave." I said, more powerful. He was a little surprised.

"What? Are you sure? I've done this before." I turned my head to face him, red eyes meeting clear blue.

"I said leave." It was something in my voice that made Alex flinch. He backed off and left. I sighed and simply stood there. I had to make it seem like a crime and I knew with what I would start.


	17. Chapter 17

**Chapter 17: Aftermath**

In the morning Nate was peacefully reading some book on his bed. He seemed very calm and happy, like nothing was wrong. Until Stella arrived home, clothes dirty. She went directly in her room and took a shower. After she changed in something clean she flashed into Nate's room. He was shocked when his sister pushed him into the wall, eyes red and furious.

"You bastard! You killed Ana." His eyes widened, mouth opened. He glanced on one side, ashamed. "I can't believe you. I know we've just started this thing with vampires again and these past days have been hard and stressful but how could you? For God's sake, Nate! She liked you! She had a crush on you! And what have you done? Suck her blood out and let her body somewhere far from the city. Did you think no one would find her? Did you think _I_ wouldn't find her?"I sighed and looked down at him. He let himself fall on his butt.

"What have you done with her?" I sighed again and turned to look on the window.

"I cut between your bites, make it seem like she was cut. I buried her somewhere near the gas station. Someone will definitely find her this morning and call the police. It will be a case without clues so they will close it." He looked up at me, surprised. "I read too much." I shrugged. "But that's not the point. Nate…" I bent to his level. "You are my brother, my older brother, and I know you have done so many things for me and I owe you but I won't clean your misery every time. I can't. I thought you would change, being in a new town and everything, and you did but not as dad or I wished. I miss the old, old Nate that I heard about." I sighed and walked to the door. "Get ready for school." I said before closing the door.

I walked in my room and fell on the bed. I was exhausted. Last night I couldn't sleep, I arrived just a few moments ago from the forest. I took a quick shower, again, took my bag and went downstairs. Dad was eating breakfast when I entered the kitchen.

"Where have you been the entire night?" I rolled my eyes. I opened the door to the fridge and took a bottle of blood. I drank half of it until I finally stopped.

"I don't want to talk about this." He glared at me and opened his mouth, ready to scold me but Nate entered the kitchen. I inspected him. He looked all cleaned up, even if he had a sorrowful expression. He felt bad for what he did. I wonder if I felt like this too after my last victim. I took my car keys and walked towards the front door, Nate on my tail.

We were on our way to school when I glanced at him.

"Look, Nate. I won't judge you for what happened, is not my place to say something after what I did but…try to stop these little excitements. Don't lose control so easily." He turned his head and watched on the window. After I parked the car I stood still. "Put a smile on your face, Nate. People have definitely heard about Ana. Act as you didn't know, act as yourself." He nodded and opened the door. I got out slowly and closed the door. I went in the school and found Tracy crying. I took a deep breath and went to her.

In the class, sitting in his usual place, Eric was still thinking at what happened that morning.

_Eric just woke up, a sick feeling in his gut. He opened the fridge for his own bottle of blood and went in the living where his uncle was. He sat down and changed the channel, seeing James' boring face. Unfortunately, on the next channel was the news.___

_"This morning, at the gas station just outside the city the body of a young girl has been found. The police don't want to talk about this unfortunate event but they did give us a few details. The girl had been buried and had a rather large cut on her neck. She died from blood loss sometime this morning. Her name is Anastasia Whirl, student at Firewood High School." Eric stopped listening to what the man continued to say. He narrowed his eyes at the TV and flashed in Alex's room. The younger vampire was on his back, staring at the TV in his room.___

_"What does this mean?" He yelled at Alex, pointing to the TV. Alex shrugged. It wasn't something big or important for him. Eric's eyes changed to red and he growled. He grabbed Alex by his neck, making the younger vampire glare daggers at him.___

_"I didn't kill her, stupid." He pushed Eric away, pretty easy. "Why don't you go to school as a good boy and find out what happened, huh?" Eric glared at Alex but walked out of the room. On the way out, he grabbed his bag. He didn't know what to believe but he had a feeling that Alex was telling the truth, he didn't kill Ana._

Eric stared in front, seeing as many teenagers were already filling the class room. He caught scent of Stella and tears. He was worried yet his heart wasn't beating differently. That's when he remembered Alex's words from the first day they met.

_James already went to bed, after of course he showed Alex his own room. Eric wasn't too thrilled, having Alex in his house. The thought was rubbing on him. He didn't like Alex but he didn't know why. Maybe Stella was the reason but, thinking again, Stella has never been his property. Alex has always been there for her while he broke her heart. Another thought that simply annoyed the male vampire. Trying to get his mind off it he went downstairs for blood. Yes, blood is what he needed in those moments. He was drinking, calmer, when the door opened. From the other side appeared Alex's face.___

_"Oh, the vampire prince has a drink without his guest?" Eric glared at Alex's smirking face. The playful young vampire did know his effect on Eric and he was quite happy with the results. "Let me guess, I annoy the hell out of you with my simple presence?" Eric continued glaring but nodded nonetheless. "Well, live with it. I will be around for a while." He sat on a chair, opposite of Eric and stared in front.___

_"Why did you come here?" Alex raised his eyebrow and titled his head.___

_"For Stella." This simple response made Eric tense. "Why? Are you tabling me as a bad guy?" Eric narrowed his eyes.___

_"You are a bad guy. You kill just to have fun." Alex shrugged innocently.___

_"Everyone has a hobby." Eric rolled his eyes. "Have you hurt Stella yet? This is your hobby if I remember correctly." Alex smirked, and oh how much Eric wanted to punch the guy.___

_"I…" Eric was lost in his own thoughts. It seems everyone liked to remind him that.___

_"We both know you never loved Stella and she never loved you. Vampires don't have feelings. Everything is up here." He said, pointing to his head. "Weak vampires imagine they feel, but they're just made up sentiments. The heart doesn't beat for this. It beats to have blood running through our veins." With these said, Alex left a thoughtful Eric in the kitchen._

Eric got out of his flashback just when he saw the teacher coming in. He glanced beside to see Stella sitting there, her mind wondering somewhere else.


	18. Chapter 18

**Chapter 18: Guilt**

At lunch, Stella sat with Tracy, Sami, Roy and Austin. The boys were much relaxed than the girls. Tracy still couldn't believe how many friends died, in just a few days.

"When I woke up this morning I was more than surprised. Ana was such a nice girl. She didn't worth to die like this." I bent my head down, my appetite long gone. I tried and searched for Nate but he was nowhere in sight.

"Have you heard how she died?" Austin asked Tracy. She shook her head. "I heard the police might close the case because there aren't any clues. However, she had a cut on her neck. That's all. She died just from blood loss." Tracy started crying again in Sami's arms while my chest felt heavy. Ok, it didn't. I felt rather good. I thought I could block these things. Or maybe I couldn't feel. I'd have to ask Alex more. After Austin calmed Tracy down, they started talking about other things. I searched for Nate again but he wasn't in the cafeteria. No, but instead, I caught Eric's eye. He pointed with his head to one side, meaning he wanted to talk. I nodded.

"I'm getting out of here. See you in class." They nodded, thinking that maybe I needed alone time after what happened. I got out of there and found Eric waiting for me at my locker. He took my hand, which in that moment I felt something inside my head snap.

_"Stella!" The girl rolled her eyes and stopped running. The boy finally caught her and they both fell. "Caught you." He started smirking while Stella started chuckling.___

_"It wasn't fair. I stopped." The boy shrugged. They were still down when the boy that looked like Eric got a hold of her hand. Stella looked down at him and smiled when she saw him taking her hand to his lips and kissing it. "A gentleman like always." He chuckled and in an instant both vampires were on their feet again, smiling._

I got out of my flashback and looked at Eric. He still had a tight grip on my hand. I took my hand back, making him stop and look at me. He had a hard to tell expression. Sadness with disappointment or something like this. He took me in the school's library, in the very back.

"What happened?" I gulped and looked at anything but his eyes. Those blue eyes were boring into my head. "Stella…who killed Ana?" I sighed and closed my eyes. I turned around and bent my head down.

"It wasn't Alex. He tried to help but I told him to go." Eric nodded.

"I know it wasn't him. Was it…you?" I kept staring at the floor. He walked closer and hugged me. "I won't judge you, Stella. You just arrived in Firehole last week and many things happened. I know this is just the beginning." I narrowed my eyes and shook his hands off.

"It wasn't me." He backed off. "I'm afraid for my brother. It seems it's harder for him." Eric nodded, like I said the most logical thing.

"Yes. You went through this once. For you it's easier to control your thirst. We should keep an eye on Nate, though. He might start to awaken the other senses too." I raised an eyebrow. "I mean, he might start flirting more and even disappearing for days. He will crave for freedom. Much more freedom." I looked worried at Eric. He'd seen my troubled expression and hugged me again. And again, that hug made me feel much better. We heard someone coughing and let go of each other. There was a girl who eyed me up and down, glared and left. I rolled my eyes.

While Stella was at school, Nate flashed out of it, not seeing what good could get out of it. He would just have to bear the others and he wasn't in the mood. He didn't want to go back at the bar, risking to be recognized. He just went to a small café, to clear his head. He stood there, looking at everyone around him, smelling the blood from every human who passed his table. He closed his eyes and put his head between his hands, trying to concentrate on something else.

"Look what I found here." Nate raised his head to meet clear blue eyes. Alex sat opposite the older vampire and raised an eyebrow, amused. "Your sister is worried about you. You act like the younger sibling." He said chuckling. Nate shook his head and took a sip from his coffee.

"Did she tell you to come and make me feel worse?" Alex rolled his eyes.

"No. I just didn't have what to do and thought 'why not search for Nate and make his life miserable.'" Alex rolled his eyes again. "Kid, you're older than me, yet here you are wasting your time. You shouldn't feel bad. That's your life, you should be proud. A lot of teenagers want to be in your place." Nate chuckled darkly.

"I don't think so. They think these creatures exist just in movies. The movies and books make vampires' life an incredible story. We don't even have powers." He hissed. Alex chuckled amused.

"True. We can't be killed with sticks by humans. We can be killed with sticks by other vampires. Also, we don't wait a lifetime for our 'destined love'" He said, pointing the quote signs. "We're boring, indeed." He said sarcastically. Nate rolled his eyes. "See the happy part. You have a long, long time ahead for whatever you want to do. You can have any girl, you can party and don't get drunk, you can be here and in the next second in another place. You can travel anywhere." Nate shifted in his place. He didn't thought of it like an opportunity. "You should enjoy it. You already finished school, you already did what a mere human can in its life. Now you can do what a vampire can." He moved his eyebrows up and down, making Nate chuckle.

"Like getting in jail again?" Alex looked flummoxed at Nate and started laughing.

"Nice one. But I was talking more about traveling. Biting people for blood is not something you should be ashamed of. You killed that pretty girl, and? Pff, big thing! She had to die anyway." Nate growled at Alex words. The younger vampire didn't look affected at all. "Vampires can block their 'emotions', if there are any. Most of the time the sentiments vampires feel are just in their head. They create them just to feel more humane." Nate nodded.

"And what should I do? Invent my own?" He shrugged.

"You do feel something for Stella. She's your sister and you have a strong connection but that's all. As for the rest, you feel just what you want. You feel disappointed right now because you want to. You've been taught to invent emotions that, normally, humans feel when you kill someone, when you love someone, yada yada." Nate rolled his eyes.


	19. Chapter 19

**Chapter 19: Bad News**

Because Nate was too lazy to go back to school, he chose to go home. Fortunately, without Alex. It seems the younger vampire had his own work to do. When he was ready to go in his room, his father came out of the kitchen. He raised an eyebrow, curious at what Nate would say this time.

"I have other things on my mind, dad." The old man nodded, understanding.

"Tomorrow we'll have guests, Nate." The vampire turned fully to his father. "Your cousins." Nate's eyes widened and flashed in his room. There, he took the phone and called Stella.

On the other side, Stella was back to her normal self. Of course her friends were a little skeptical as to why she didn't show her remorse more visibly. The truth was that she didn't feel it.

"I feel bad in a way. One of my friends was killed by my brother and I don't care." Eric shrugged. We chose to skip the next class, which was history.

"That's part of you. Vampires usually invent their own sentiments and after a while they get accustomed to them and actually believe in them. For example: you and Nate. You've been used and taught to believe you have the same feelings as a human."

"But what if the feelings are really deep? Then they exist?" Eric shrugged again.

"I never tried." I nodded and sighed. While both of us started spacing out, thinking, I felt my phone vibrate.

"Yes, Nate." I heard him shift and move. It was a sign he was on his feet, walking through his room.

_"Tomorrow we have guests. Honor guests."_ I had my eyebrow raised and glanced at a curios Eric. _"Dad's sister and her two daughters. That means cousin Ash too."_

"Cousin Ash?" I could actually see him nodding, disgusted.

_"Yes. The one with 100 kids and a bitchy younger sister. That one."_ Finally getting it, I awed. I flinched too. Eric raised an eyebrow, curious. I bet he had some questions.

"Is she coming with her entire family? Like, _her entire family_?" I heard Nate growling.

_"Yes."_ I sighed and hung up. I closed my eyes and rubbed my temples. Eric chuckled but came and took me in a one sided hug.

"If you want, I can help you. Just call me. Or even Alex." I glanced up at him skeptically. He stopped and looked back at me. "Actually, scratch that. Don't call Alex." I chuckled and snuggled in his chest.

After school, and of course after I told the girls why I skipped half of the school day, a lie they seemed to have bought, I hopped in Eric's car and went home. When I opened the door to get out, the car being parked in front of my house, Eric stopped me by grabbing my hand.

"Don't forget. I'm a phone call away." I smiled and nodded. I took my bag and flashed into the house. On the way upstairs I threw my bag somewhere, don't know where it landed, and went in my room.

"So tomorrow…" I rolled my eyes and closed the door. I turned around to face Alex, the hot young vampire with amazing blue eyes. I looked closer at them. So entrancing. Much different than Eric's. Alex's are a gray/blue color, clear like water. Also they never express anything, they are cold and sometimes they have a playful twinkle. Eric's are sincere, also cold but not expressionless. Also his eyes are a deep blue like the sky.

"Earth to Stella, Earth to Stella. Do you hear me?" I rolled my eyes and shook his hand off my face. "You spaced out. And you were staring visibly." He said, smirking teasingly. I pushed him away and went and threw myself on the bed. I sighed happily and closed my eyes. "Huston, we have a problem." He said playfully. I could already imagine the smirk he had.

"If you want to know, we do have a problem." He raised his eyebrow, curious. I took this as a sign to continue. "My…um…cousin, Ashley, is coming to visit." When I finished the last word, Nate trotted into my room, his eyes changing from green to red, fast.

"I hate her! And she has 200 kids who don't know how to contain their hormones! She has three girls! Three! And one actually had the guts to flirt with me! The oldest of the three is a whore and flirts with any guy she finds hot and the youngest is a freaking 9 years old kid! She also has a much younger boyfriend and she comes with her bitchy sister who's a few years younger than her and even she flirted with me!" Believe it or not, he said all of this in one breath. Both me and Alex were watching the still fuming Nate, as he jumped on my bed, next to me, and rolled on his back. "If it means I will go to Hell if I kill them all, then I'm taking the risk." Alex looked at me perplexed. He hadn't seen this part of Nate before. I did and I was happy to see him going back to normal.

"Ok…I certainly didn't expect this." Alex finally broke the silence. Nate rolled his eyes. "It can't be that bad, right?" Both I and Nate stared at him blankly.

"Yes. Yes, it is." I finally said.

The next hours we just walked around, dragged ourselves out of the bed to eat and then come back, that's how Nate ended sleeping in my bed. I woke up the next morning to my brother's slight snoring. His head was also under the pillow while his legs were tangled with mine. I chuckled seeing him sleeping like a small kid. I got up and went directly into the shower. Next, I walked downstairs, in the kitchen and straight to the fridge. I need nothing but a good sip of that sweet blood.

"Up already?" I raised my eyes to dad who just entered, looking quite amused. I knew already why he was in such a mood. Every time his step-sister and her family came to visit, he got amused and made a joke out of it. I usually got out of the house when she would come with her whole family but Nate had to stay. He is the oldest sibling and there always had to be one of us home. Fortunately, I spent just one time with them, but it was enough to scare me for life.

"Nate won't be too happy." He chuckled.

"You won't either when you'll hear me out." I raised an eyebrow, kind of embracing myself for the worst. "This time you can't save yourself." My eyebrow started twitching. "I'm sorry but after school you'll come straight home. They will most likely be here already." I sighed and let my head fall on the table.

"Nate's going to kill them." Dad rolled his eyes.

"He won't. I trust him. But, Stella…" I raised my head and looked at dad's parental expression. "No Alex and no Eric this week."

"Fine." I stopped, finally realizing what he said. "Wait, what?"

"You can meet them anywhere but here. Alex is dangerous and I know they would both get annoyed and kill them, eventually." I couldn't stop imagining that and laughing. It was a good image. Dad scolded me for my thoughts while I simply rolled my eyes. I was getting annoyed when Nate entered, looking as cold as ever. He didn't even look at us, he just went and took his cereals out from the cabinet and the milk from the fridge. I watched as he put the milk and cereals in the bowl and started eating like a robot. I rolled my eyes at his childish behavior. I already knew he wouldn't talk with any of us soon, he needed to get it through his head that Ashley was coming. I got back in my room and guess what I found there.

"You're not supposed to be here." Alex rolled his eyes.

"Do I look like I care?" He got off the bed and went in my bathroom. He looked into the mirror and smirked. "It doesn't seem so." He flashed back on the bed and turned the TV on. I just went into the bathroom and changed in dry clothes. When I got back out he wasn't there anymore. I sighed, hopefully he wouldn't come back until I came back from school. I took my bag and went downstairs to see dad on the couch, watching TV. Nate came downstairs soon enough and I went to school. Who knows where my brother went. School for sure not.

"Why do you look so…" I raised my eyebrow and looked at Tracy. It was lunch and the whole day I didn't catch a glimpse of Eric. After half of the breaks I looked after him, I gave up and hung around with Tracy and Sami.

"So…?" She shrugged. Sami rolled her eyes. Since yesterday, she didn't really talk with me anymore. Just the usual greets and when she needed to interact in classes.

"Like this is the last day of your life." I groaned. Sami looked a little weird at me, I guess it sounded more like a growl than groan.

"Because this is the last day of my life. My father's step-sister comes in town and she has two daughters. The worse is Ashley. She has many kids and they're all girls and very bitchy ones. Her sister is two years younger than her and she even flirted with Nate." Tracy gasped dramatically while Sami rolled her eyes again.

"Where is your brother anyway? I haven't seen him in three days." I looked down, thoughtful. I need to think fast about something.

"Um…He went to visit mom. Yeah, she lives in…New York." They nodded, buying it.


	20. Chapter 20

**Chapter 20: To Believe Or Not To…**

The day seemed to go faster than I wanted. In no time I found myself at the front door of my house.

"To get in or not to get in…" I heard something shift behind and turned right in time to get out of the way of a very powerful punch. When I got up of the ground I glanced around but no one was there. I closed my eyes and sighed. I opened them after flashing to the door. "Here goes nothing." I sighed again and opened the door. The first thing I heard when I entered was a very annoying voice complaining about the house and other toddlers and kids running through the living room. I was blocked in that spot. Nate wasn't home yet. "Lucky bastard" I mumbled and went in the kitchen. There was my father, his step-sister and her two daughters. Ashley was with her boyfriend, who it seems was a different one than the last time I saw her, but still young, and her sister Emily, with one of her daughters on her lap. Everyone turned to look at me when they heard the door opening.

"Stella! My dear Stella!" I tried smiling my best but I already had that gagging feeling. "You've grown! But dear, you should really stop eating fast food. We don't want you to gain." I could feel my eye twitching. I glanced at dad to see him watching me sorrowfully. I glared at him, my eyes changing slightly to red. I sighed and gave my aunt a fake smile.

"It's nice to see you too, Aunt Belle." She smiled again and pinched my cheek. I narrowed my eyes at her but she didn't let go. She stopped on her own after a few more seconds, thankfully. "I will go in my room. I have homework to do." She nodded.

"Stella." I stopped and looked at dad over my shoulder. "Nate will be sleeping in your room this week." I glared at him for the last time and went in my room.

I was just closing the door when I heard something shifting behind. I closed my eyes and turned around. "You and I are sleeping in the same room from now on for a week." Nate's expression was priceless. However, his eyes didn't change. He smirked.

"I don't think so. I talked with Eric and James. It seems we are welcomed anytime to hang out over the Arche mansion." I raised an eyebrow and smirked too.

"Really…Nice. We will see Nathan." He chuckled and rolled his eyes, then jumped on the bed and turned on the TV. I shook my head and flashed next to him. At least we didn't have to stay home too much.

Meanwhile, at Arche residence, Alex was lazing off. The young vampire didn't have anything fun to do and blood wasn't needed for now. He thought of going to Stella and maybe annoys Eric a little more but he couldn't actually enter the house. That vampire slayer had put defense around the house, just so he will be sure neither he nor Eric will enter and surprise them with an innocent visit. However, he got interrupted from doing nothing by Eric. He seemed to be in a rush. Alex raised an eyebrow and watched the vampire, amused.

"What's got in your pants?" Eric didn't seem at all fazed, which intrigued Alex. Usually, he got mad. "Really, now. What got you so…rushy?" Eric stopped and sat on the couch. He put his head between his hands. Alex raised an eyebrow and sighed. He got closer and that's when Eric raised his head.

"They're already here." Alex's eyes widened and looked worriedly at Eric. "They will start attacking soon. They will start with us, maybe with Nate too and then…" Alex sat down, his eyes looking straight ahead.

"She's strong. She's done it before. She can kill anyone, I know it. She's even better than before." Eric sighed and let his head fall back.

"She is. But they won't give up. If Stella loses control then Firehole will become a battle field." Alex gulped and looked down at his hands. "Someone has to be there."

"Nate is strong enough to protect her. We are here. I will call some friends if I have to." Eric looked at the younger vampire. Even if he was a smart ass and he hated him, they did have something in common. That's the reason they were there, it was the woman they both loved and maybe still did. It's Stella Monroe.

"It's ok, Eric. Stella changed, as you've seen. No one will hurt her. And if they do, then they are already dead." Eric sighed and closed his eyes, leaning deeper in the couch.


	21. Chapter 21

**Chapter 21: Troublesome**

It seemed I fell asleep because when I woke up Nate wasn't there and I could hear laughter from downstairs.

"What…" I raised myself groggily and got off the bed. I looked around to see a lot of Nate's things in my room. I chuckled softly and walked out of the room. While still on my way downstairs I could feel annoyance. I chuckled again. In the living room was everyone: adults, sluts and children. Nate was on the couch, Emily of course, flirting with him.

I walked slowly, getting myself ready for what was about to come. Nate flinched when Emily put her hand on his back and looked behind, to me. Help He mouthed. I rolled my eyes but went and sat between him and Emily.

"Nice to see you, cousin Emily." I fake smiled. She narrowed her eyes for a few seconds and turned back to her originally fake and plastic expression. I glanced at Nate to see him sighing relieved. Thank you He mouthed again. I nodded and turned back to see cousin Emily gone and Ashley's oldest bitchy daughter looking at me from head to toe. "Is there something you need?" I tried to sound as nice as possible, but it sounded evil and bitter.

"No. You've changed from the last time I saw you." I smiled innocently.

"Of course she did." Nate responded in my place smirking. "You don't have any idea of how _much_ she has grown, lately." He said, his smirk growing wider. I chuckled under my breath and glanced back at her face. It was priceless. Angry but surprised. She glared at both of us and got up. I glanced back to Nate and chuckled while leaning more on him.

"You didn't have to do this. Now who knows what she may think or tell her siblings, the devils." Nate laughed lightly and shook his head while getting me in a one sided hug.

"We are the devils." I laughed too and got up. He grabbed fast my hand and stopped me.

"What do you think you're doing? Don't leave me here to die." I smiled innocently shook his hand off. His face paled while I simply went upstairs, still chuckling.

I entered into my room right on time because my phone started ringing.

"Yep?" The voice on the other side seemed frantic.

_"Is this Stella?"_ I raised an eyebrow and responded.

"Yes. Who's this?" I heard someone shifting on the other side and the voice came back.

_"Take care of you and Alex. He thinks they're coming for you but they don't even know you're alive. I know I'm just a strange voice calling out of nowhere but, please, take care of Alex."_ I furrowed my eyebrows together and frowned.

"What? Who's this? Who's coming?" I couldn't hear anything except a long beep, meaning the other person hung up. I looked at the phone in my hand, thousands of thoughts going overdrive in my head. I sighed and closed my eyes. I went on the bed and rubbed my temples. While trying to relax and clean my head off those horrible thoughts the phone rang again. I flashed fast and answered it. "Who's this?"

_"Chill girl. It's me…Tracy. I just wanted to tell you there's a festival in the city."_ I sighed relived. _"It's about dancing and teenagers and how can dance influence someone's life or something like that. There will be a lot of contestants."_ Hopefully she didn't drag me in. _"I signed us up for it."_ And she actually did. Damn my luck!

"When is the actual contest?" I said while going back on the bed.

_"A month or two but we have to practice until then. I already have a song, you just have to learn the moves."_

"Who else have you dragged in?" She scoffed. I could almost imagine her scolding face on the other side.

_"It's an opportunity. And I didn't do it for me. I did it for Sam. She had always dreamt to become a choreographer but her parents have other plans. Now, this is for her. She does the choreography and we learn it. Embrace yourself."_ Unfortunately I didn't feel any kind of feeling, at least not intense. I guess there was a small amount of pity. _"And for your question. There's me, you and Sami, obviously, Austin, Roy, Mandy, Matt and Randy. Four boys and four girls. So, get ready cause tomorrow it's the first day of rehearsals. Bye, bye!"_ I hang up and groaned.

"Great. After I have to deal with my problems, I have to deal with hers too." I put my head in the pillow and groaned again.

Downstairs, Nate wasn't too fond of his cousins and he didn't need bonding time. He flashed upstairs in his sister's room and saw her sleeping peacefully on the bed. He smiled softly, event that happens rare, and sat on the bed, next to her. It's unbelievable how such a nice girl can transform in a demon in just a few seconds. His smile stood on his lips while his hand moved the fallen hair behind her hear. She stirred making the male vampire take his hand back.

"What do you want?" She asked groggily.

"I'm going to Eric's. I'll spend my time there and maybe sleep over."She nodded approvingly and rubbed her eyes. She opened her eyes and looked at Nate, who watched her like an older loving brother would.

"What?" Nate's smile was replaced by a small laugh. Stella furrowed her eyebrows together and watched her brother weirdly.

"You don't really look like a vampire. I remember you were even softer and baby-ish before." She stuck her tongue out at him in a childish manner. "Are you coming?" Nate asked Stella while opening the balcony doors. Stella shook her head and fell back on the bed.

Stella's POV

"You go. I'll come later if I feel too annoyed." He nodded chuckling and took off. I sighed and closed my eyes back, enjoying the silence. However, it didn't last long. I heard a big noise, like something just broke, and went downstairs. There were Ashley's older daughters fighting over something. I seriously didn't want to know what about but I did have to stop them.

"Troublesome kids." One of them, Chelsea glared at me and smirked smugly.

"I'm older than you. I'm 20 years old already. You're still 17." I rolled my eyes. That's what she though. I'm so much older than her. However, I didn't comment.

"What are you fighting for?" Chelsea glared more at me and scoffed.

"I met a guy. Plus, tonight's this weird party for money. Something about the most wanted men in Firehole. The women pay for some fun." She smirked. I knew exactly what was she thinking about. "Mom and her sister will be there. Uncle Adrian too. He's for sale" I rolled my eyes. Wait, the most wanted men…My eyes widened. That means…Alex is too! And so is Eric's uncle! I glanced at Chelsea curious.

"You met a guy and you're fighting a 16 years old teenager for him? How old is he?" Both girls glared at me. I raised an eyebrow, still waiting.

"He's somewhere in his early twenties." I heard the youngest girl, Natalie, mumbling. Thank God for great hearing. "But he looks younger." She continued. "He has these blue eyes that simply get you entranced." I was perplexed. An sixteen years old is crushing on someone who might go for her older sister any time? Humanity has gone on a weird path.

"Wait…" I stopped for a second. "How does he look again?" Chelsea glared at her younger sister and got in a dream state.

"He's a little taller than Nate. He's so handsome. He practically yells sex! Those blue orbs of his shine clearly and it simply amazes you. And his charm. And his voice! It's so deep and sexy. And he's really funny too! What more can a girl wish?" My eyes widened again. I breathed out slowly, trying not to get worked out.

"It's his name Alex, by any chance?" They both nodded and got back in a glaring contest. I sighed and closed my eyes. I could feel my eye twitch. "He really needs help. If I'm going to save his ass, he should at least restrain his habits." I mumbled rubbing my temples.


	22. Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Let The Party Begin**

The day progressed even worse. The sisters were fighting over Alex while Emily and Ashley were with their mother already at the party. I sighed and rolled my eyes. I went upstairs and into dad's room.

"Can I enter?" Stella heard her father yelling 'yes' and opened the door. The room was very different than hers and Nate. For example there was a small bed near the window and there was a total mess. Stella now could understand why her father was such a bachelor. He and his wife, because she couldn't call her 'mother' anymore, weren't made for each other and Adrian was still a young vampire slayer. Stella was quite surprised when her eyes landed on her father's figure. "Wow."She was amazed. He looked pretty nice and he had a cool personality yet there was no waiting line of women behind him. "You look hot." Adrian turned around and looked at his vampire daughter.

"What? Have you thought your father is old and grumpy? I'm in a perfect shape." Stella entered more into the room while chuckling. He wore a nice buttoned up shirt with his two first buttons opened to show the start of a nice and fit chest, and a pair of black comfortable pants. The most amusing was the fact he wore a pair of black converse. Stella inspected closer her father and could help raising an eyebrow as a sign of her approve.

"You really look interesting. There will be many women _stalking_ you. Actually, you might be better than Alex." He rolled his eyes and turned back to look in the mirror.

"Hopefully, no one will die." The vampire rolled her piercing green eyes. People took Alex too seriously. He won't kill anyone. Stella was sure he won't, for her. She walked behind him and hugged him lightly.

"He's a nice boy. I will be there too and so will Eric and Nate. Plus, there is one extraordinary hot and brave vampire slayer who can take down any bloodsucker." He chuckled and hugged her back.

At Arche mansion Nate have been forced to interrupt the blood fest and Supernatural marathon by the older Arche, and change in formal clothes for the party he didn't even know about.

"You should stop acting like you're a celebrity." Nate said rolling his eyes at Alex. They've been sharing a room just for the fun of it. Eric wasn't too happy with Nate's decision but the big brother had his reasons. However, back into the messy room that actually screamed Alex, the so named younger vampire was all over the mirror. Nate was getting annoyed from the simple fact that Alex was half drunk and half thirsty, which was equal to danger for humans. "I hate formal clothes." That was the second reason why Nate hated Alex at that moment.

"These aren't formal clothes." The younger vampire occupied completely the mirror, checking himself up, completing with some thing or another. However, even if he looked pretty happy with the situation, getting human females without doing anything and practically throwing themselves at him, he wasn't. There was one girl he wanted to impress and going out with someone who, who knows how much will pay for who knows how much attention she wants wasn't a good way.

"Are you two ready?" Nate trailed his eyes to the already wide opened door and to the face that appeared. James Arche was really one of the best looking vampires. Plus, he's one of the oldest too. Many women would beg and pray just for one glance over. However, no one saw him as such a hot character. Nate, Alex and Eric where as cool and hot as the older male, that was a fact.

"I hate parties." James and Alex rolled their eyes. Eric came into the room too, looking as grumpy as Nate. However, there was someone he was very thrilled to see soon so he wouldn't dare to comment. Plus, he could rub it in Alex's face, even better.

At the party, which was held at Austin's house, the Carrington residence, people were practically invading the whole mansion. The house was indeed huge and there were millions of rooms. Stella felt quite inferior, being around such a rich family. Austin doesn't talk about his family at all. Maybe that's the reason; maybe he doesn't want people to treat him differently.

The vampires entered groggily inside, looking at everything and anything. Stella was right next to Eric and the three bachelors of the group were already getting lost into the crowd. Nate went directly to the bar and the 'family' got lost too, thankfully. Stella really didn't want them around her anymore.

"Are you sure it's good to let Nate drink?" Stella glanced at her brother. Her intense gaze made the older brother flinch and put the glass of alcohol slowly down. Eric looked amused between Nate and Stella. It was amazing how much power she had over all three powerful vampires.

"You're something else, you know." Stella smirked and walked forward, Eric right behind. While still walking around, every bachelor was in his own fan club. For example: James. Women went to him from the first time he put his foot in the house. He was talking with three women at once and still looked like it wasn't enough. The vampire slayer, Adrian, was smiling and trying to look good while the woman he was talking with, and it was surprisingly, Tracy's mother, was rambling on and on about something. Next was Alex. Oh my…girls were going crazy over him.

"Aren't you going to call him over? I think your nieces will kill any girl that dares to glance at him." Stella simply laughed and continued watching people around. Her eyes went to Alex and saw he was enjoying way too much the attention he got. Also, Eric was right. Chelsea was ready to jump on him and Natalie was glaring at her sister. She sighed and rubbed her temples.

"He's so annoying. It's like he dares them to go and take a bite or something." Nate and Eric looked at the unfazed Stella and started chuckling. She rolled her eyes and got up.

"Where to?" Nate asked his sister. She glanced at the boys over her shoulder, a bored look on her face.

"Exploring." Nate almost spilled his drink while trying not to have a fit and Eric simply shook his head.


	23. Chapter 23

**Chapter 23: The Portrait**

Stella's journey wasn't as she expected. People were walking everywhere! She finally decided to take the adventure to the next level and practically walked to the next level, the second floor. Everything was pretty weird up there. A lot of mirrors and sculptures. She finally decided to enter in one of the many rooms. She chose the closest to her. When the door knob turned and opened, her eyes widened when she saw it was another corridor.

"Wow." She was speechless. The entire room was full of portraits. There was a man with moustache, there was another man with a gay-ish hat and then, in the very front of the wall…there it was. The biggest portrait of a noble with piercing brown eyes and an expressionless face. It almost made Stella flinch. Almost. When her eyes trailed around the painting she couldn't help staring at one thing in particularity. She went closer to it and trailed her fingers over it. She flinched.

_It was a deadly night and everyone could feel it. Around the entire state Arizona, people started dying. In an apartment, there were two men sitting at a table, talking.___

_"We have to get rid of it. I don't care what we have to do." The man who just talked looked strict and calm but it was obvious that the lately events pissed him off. "Bloodsuckers. They've been in Firehole and acted innocent."___

_"But they did help the city develop. There were just two families: Arche and Blanche, noble and proud. They wouldn't have done this. They wanted a normal life." The second man was clearly not as mad as the first. He was also much apprehensive when it came to vampires. "Adding to that…they died."___

_"I know! But no one can kill vampires except other vampires! The Blanche children escaped and disappeared! It's obvious they killed the others! What were their names again?" The second took out a file and read it.___

_"Stella and Nathan. No one knows what happened with them. Stella was a young and nice woman. She looked about 17 years old while Nathan was a younger version of his father." The first man narrowed his eyes at the file. There were also two photographs of the two. "Should we look after them? Do you think they did this?" The expressionless man closed his eyes and sighed. He threw the photos away and opened back his eyes. He looked on the window at the moon.___

_"We won't succeed but in the future, I will count on my nephew and on his children. Carrington will protect the world. The moon will guide us."_

"Stella?" The girl jumped, scaring the poor guy who was shaking her. She turned around to see Austin. "Are you alright?" The girl nodded and looked closer at the young human male in front. Now, after that flashback, something didn't seem right with him.

"I just spaced out." Austin looked weirdly at Stella but didn't comment. She glanced back at the portrait. "Who's he?" Austin walked closer to the painting and trailed his eyes over it. It was obvious they were family. Austin had the same eyes, the same facial expression when he was thinking and they both had that calm personality that makes you want to figure out what are they hiding.

"Archibald Carrington. He's my great-great-great-grandfather. I don't know much about him but father never spoke much either. From what I know, he lived here in the late 1880's. Then he moved out but no one really knows why. The craziest stories are that he was a vampire slayer." Stella glanced from the corner of her eye at Austin. His expression was one of longing, depression, sadness.

"What do you think?" He turned to her and smiled.

"I think these are bullshit. He made this family what it is now and I'm proud to be part of it. If vampires excited then, it means they still do and this is impossible." Stella inspected Austin closely. Maybe she was getting paranoid but something about his aura has changed.

"Do you think vampires are real?" He chuckled and turned his eyes back to the painting.

"I guess we'll never know." Stella nodded.

Back downstairs things were going smoothly like they should. Nate was still at the bar but not drinking anymore. Eric was talking with Roy, his long lost friend, while the bachelors were ready to get on the stage. A microphone interrupted everyone.

"Sorry." The woman on the stage apologized for the highly disturbing sound. "Ok. We came here for a reason. Before we start I want to thank the city's bachelors for accepting." There was a loud round of applauses. "I also want to thank everyone who's here. It's such a pleasure to see so many citizens of our dear Firehole, in the same place. Thank you!" another round of applauses. "Now. As you know, we're not doing this just for the fun of it. We're getting funds for a noble cause. No, not our city but for the children who doesn't have school and well, a proper life. That's a real tragedy. Those children need all the help possible and even if we're just a small city, we want to contribute." Yet, another round of applauses. "Now, please all the bachelors come up here!" Nate watched amused as the ten men walked up, looking more than uncomfortable. First one, being his father. "First bachelor's name is Ronald Montgomery…." The noise was ignored by Nate as Eric came next to him.

"They don't look too happy. Not even Alex, the womanizer." Nate chuckled lightly. At first he didn't know what to think of Eric. He was a very complicated person. But then, he became friends with Stella…again, and things changed…again. Nate could compare Eric with Edward Cullen, seeing how he wanted to stay away from Stella and he was so caught up in his own thoughts but he was far from being an Edward. He's Eric and he's fun to be around. It's also fun to see him and Alex bickering about things, like they're a married couple. Nate couldn't stop the chuckle coming from that one simple thought. Eric raised his eyebrow at him but Nate simply shrugged him off.

"Alex accepted this shit just for Stella. I bet he'll leave his 'date'." Eric watched the older vampire and smirked. Nate caught Eric's eye and smirked too. "I bet 50 bucks that he'll leave." Eric nodded.

"I bet 50 bucks he'll kill his date." The two shook hands and chuckled. They both turned back to the stage and watched as James was the next victim.

"James Arche. What can you tell about yourself?" He smirked and raised an eyebrow making some women behind the other two vampires melt. Eric smirked. He was proud of his uncle.

"Well…I can tell you what you want to hear but I would be too honest about myself." The people started laughing. Nate looked weirdly at Eric.

"I thought he's mature and all that jazz…?" Eric looked surprised at the male vampire. "I guess I was wrong…" Nate said drinking up his glass of…this time, water. Stella does have too much influence over him.

"James is very…complicated. His mood changes drastically. He can be flirty now and evil in the next second." Nate looked disappointed at the lack of alcohol from his glass. He was actually pouting.

"Isn't this how vampires usually are?" Eric chuckled and nodded. Seeing the depressing face of his mate he paid for a glass of whisky and put it in front of Nate. The older vampire's face started shining brightly, like that of a kid unwrapping his Christmas presents. Eric turned back to the stage.

"So what do you do for living?" James smirked, his eyes trailing over every woman there.

"Nothing. I'm rich." Eric chuckled. James heard his amused nephew and winked at him. Next was Stella's father. He was quite a nice man. Eric couldn't figure how this vampire slayer could control two of the most dangerous vampires as they were actually his children.

"Adrian Monroe. The father of two teenagers. Wow, impressive." He nodded smiling. "How hard it is to keep them under control?" Adrian laughed slightly.

"Very easy. Stella and Nate are one of the nicest kids. They act like adults." Nate glanced back at his father. He had all the respect for that man. He raised him and his sister like his own children and he didn't give them up on rough times. No, he took them back to their rightful home.

"Isn't he such a nice man, girls?" The room almost full of women started applauding making Adrian chuckle. "Are you rich too? You moved into the old Blanche mansion." Adrian stared for a few seconds at Nate and finally responded.

"No. I'm not rich. I work as a doctor in Firehole's hospital." The woman on the stage smiled flirty at him and went on to Alex.

"And the last bachelor is Alexander Smith. He's the youngest." The girls started applauding again. "How old are you actually?" He smiled flirty at her, making Chelsea and Natalie groan in the back. Nate chuckled slightly.

"Call me Alex. I'm just 23, ladies." He winked at the audience making some girls melt or stare at him perversely.

"Oh. We have a heart breaker here!" He chuckled and got a hand through his hair. Eric and Nate rolled their eyes. Alex smirked contently, seeing how he got them both annoyed. He looked over the audience after Stella but there was no scolding face of a beautiful vampire. "Do you work, Alex?" He chuckled.

"No. I'm a traveler. I like to see new places and meet new people." He smirked and looked over the two other vampires. Nate wasn't too fazed and Eric just rolled his eyes.


	24. Chapter 24

**Chapter 24: Real Reason**

Back on the second floor, Stella was still talking with Austin, but this time, in another room.

"This room is gorgeous." She trailed her eyes over everything. It seemed like it has been an office once upon.

"This is the Carrington library. A while back was Archibald's office." Stella nodded and walked deeper into the room. She went over the desk and looked at the small and old picture of a small child and an older version of him. Austin walked behind the girl and looked at it too. "That's me…and my father." Stella looked at Austin's father's face. Same green eyes, same brown hair, same happy face.

"What happened with him?" Austin's eyes fell to the ground. Stella looked closer to his face, though. Something about his eyes changed. He looked at the moon and that's when the change was clear. Stella's eyes widened. Her eyes changed colors fast from instinct.

"He was killed one year ago." Stella walked closer to Austin and put a reassuring hand on his back. Green eyes met another pair of green eyes. "The worst part is that I know who did it." Stella quirked an eyebrow and waited. "Cameron. Cameron Arche." Stella gasped.

"But…that's…"

"Impossible? I know he's Eric's father, James's brother." Stella turned her back to the young teenager. Her eyes were red like fire and blood was pumping through her veins.

"Eric's father is dead." Austin looked at the vampire female intently.

"I know." Stella's eyes went back to normal, and walked to the door. "Take care of you, Stella Blanche." Stella stopped and glanced over her shoulder at Austin. He was smirking. "I may be silent but this doesn't mean I'm stupid" Stella nodded and walked out the door and back to the party.

Back down Nate was back to water and both he and Eric were talking at the bar. The bachelors were on a break so women could decide which one they wanted _the most_. Stella just entered the room when a smirking Alex went to her.

"Where have you been?" He didn't seem too occupied with the fact that a big part of the females were glancing at them. He narrowed his eyes, expecting the answer. Stella didn't look at him, though.

"Around." She left the proud vampire behind with a bewildered expression while she went to Eric. She first glanced at Nate's glass and saw it was water, making Nate raise his eyebrow, amused. She chuckled lightly and turned to Eric, with a much serious expression. She took him by the sleeve and signed for Nate to tag along. From another part of the room, Alex narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

Outside, Stella stopped the two older vampires in a secluded part.

Stella's POV

"Austin knows." Both men raised eyebrows and looked at each other. I rolled my eyes and mentally slapped myself. They can be slow sometimes. "Austin knows we are vampires." Eric looked rather worried but Nate didn't look bothered.

"Does he know anything else?" I glanced at the moon and sighed.

"It's something weird about him. I don't know what but…" Nate raised his eyebrow and looked up, where my eyes wondered slowly. There he was, watching us. "His father was killed by yours." I said, looking back at Eric. He looked surprised.

"What?" I sighed. "But that's…well…I…"

"What's with this party without me?" We all glanced back to the front door to see Alex. He was still smirking but had also a half bothered expression.

"We were talking important matters. You would just make everything worse." He raised an eyebrow and went closer to the other vampire. Their noses were almost touching and they both had expressionless faces.

"From what I know, I haven't done anything since I came here." Alex's words had such an evil tone. Nate rolled his eyes at both of them.

"Down boys. You two should stop bickering about who's the best and powerful vampire for my sister and come back to reality. If Austin knows about vampires then it's obvious his father was killed by one. He hates us but this doesn't mean he'll run around yelling that vampires are real." Stella narrowed her eyebrows together in concentration.

"Actually, before I left he said 'Take care of you, Stella Blanche.'" Six pairs of eyes watched Stella intently. She looked right back at them. "What?"

"Take care of you? What does that mean?" Nate mumbled.

"I told you they're coming!" Alex said turning to Eric. The older male glared at him.

"I already knew that! And I told you we're going to get rid of them!" Alex and Eric started fighting again while Nate and Stella simply took a step back, practically.

"Wait, wait. Who's coming?" Stella asked the two vampires. They stopped in an instant and bend their heads down.

"Vampires from other parts of the world. You're Stella Blanche, powerful, dangerous, etc, etc. They either want to kill you or mate with you. I guess it depends on each of their level of knowledge." Nate raised an eyebrow at Alex.

"No." The three vampires stared at her. "They're not coming after me." she trailed her eyes to Alex, remembering the phone call. "They're coming after you." Nate and Eric turned their curious and surprised faces to a shocked Alex.

"What? Wait…how do you know?" Their faces turned to me.

"I got a phone call earlier this day. I don't know for sure who it was but it said to take care of _you_ because they're coming after _you_. It also told me they don't even know I'm alive."

"That's because they don't." everyone turned their heads behind to see James and dad. They walked closer to us, James much relaxed than dad.

"Now that I look better at you, you kinda look alike." James chuckled at Nate's words.

"Anyway, Stella is right. No one knows she's alive except us…and well Austin." James continued. The 'teenagers' stared profoundly at the older males. "Austin is from the Carrington family. " They nodded again. James rolled his eyes. "Carrington…doesn't it sound familiar? Like, I don't know, Archibald Carrington?" I chose not to comment. James huffed and looked bewildered at the younger vampires. "God dammit, you killed him!" He finally said, his eyes back on me. My eyes widened and I gasped. "Oh, now you get my drift." Alex looked between me and James.

"Wait. What's that supposed to do with vampires coming after me?" Alex raised an eyebrow waiting for the answers to pour. James and dad looked at him like he said the most stupid thing in the world.

"You killed their human lovers, you slept with their lovers, you changed their lovers, you killed their supposed to be human families, you killed some of their friends, you slept with some of their female friends, you…" James was cut short by an annoyed Alex.

"Ok, ok I got it. I'm bad, I'm pathetic, I don't care about anything and anyone, I don't have feelings, I'm shit but why now? I bet they could've done it before." James glanced at dad and he glanced at me. Nate and Eric were slightly amused by what Alex said but not me. I knew how it is, I guess. It's just, it keeps going on and on that little movie of me killing and persuading people on doing what I want and flirting and killing again, in my head.

"You weren't like that, Stella." Every vampire there looked stupidly at my father. "Ok. Fine, you were but you're brain was going overdrive and…" I stopped dad by chuckling.

"I get it dad. I was everything Alex has been but is ok." Again the vampires looked weirdly at me.

"You were much worse. Alex could never do what you've done." Alex nodded at James's words. Nate looked amused at the vampires.

"When I said you were devil on Earth, I wasn't joking." Alex continued, Eric and James approving. My eye started twitching.

"Ok, fine. Don't you have something else to do? Like go inside and have a drink…" I stopped and looked at Nate and Eric, making them glance at each other. "…or turn a filthy human woman on by just smirking over your shoulder or glance at her." The men in front of the young female vampire were staring at her with either WTF faces or amused. "Go!" I shooed them away and they actually started laughing but nonetheless walked inside. I stomped my foot on the ground like a child and humph-ed. "Bastards." I sighed again and trailed my eyes back to the moon, wondering what's going to happen next.


	25. Chapter 25

**Chapter 25: What if**

I was too tired to go inside so little old me decided to go home and sleep, in silence. Of course the next morning someone just had to barge in and destroy my awesome and dreamless sleep.

"Wake up! It's late!" I opened one eye to look at the unfortunate soul who dared to wake me. It was Emily. Shit, I couldn't do anything. She closed the door hard after her, making my poor ears endure a severe pain. I looked at the clock beside the bed and saw it was actually very early. It was 7 o'clock. 7 in the morning! I groaned and got up and into the bathroom. I was still exhausted. When I entered back into my room, dad was there. I raised an eyebrow and sat on the bed.

"You left early last night." I rolled my eyes.

"After what I found out and how my life turned out to be, I think it's good I even went attended it." Dad sighed and fell on his back on the bed, next to me. "What happened with you and the other two idiots?" Dad started laughing slightly.

"Well, long story short, we got our dates for today and tomorrow. Depends on each bachelor." I nodded, signing for him to continue. "Nate and Eric behaved well. No one died." I rolled my eyes again.

"I want to know about the dates. Who've you got?" He raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"Well…My date is a nice lady." I threw a pillow at dad, making him chuckle. "Ok, fine. You want details? Go ask James or Alex."

"Be careful what you tell me, dad. I might do it." He shrugged.

Time flew past fast and nothing really happened home, except the usual yells from dad's family.

"Mom! Natalie took my shirt again!" I groaned into my pillow. They've been at it for two freaking hours already!

"I didn't take anything! Mom, tell Chelsea to shut up!" I was in my bed, still not getting up for today's new events. I was annoyed and I didn't even talk with Alex yet.

"Mom!" The next thing I heard was the doors closing with a loud bang! I groaned and got up and directly into the bathroom. When I got back in the room I heard my phone ringing.

"Please, tell me it's not about clothes or make up or boys." I heard Tracy chuckling on the other side.

_"You know me too well."_ I rolled my eyes but there was an almost invisible smile on my face. _"I wanted to tell you we're meeting at Fey's to rehears…well actually to learn. Be there at…2 o'clock."_ And that's how she hung up. When I looked over the clock it was almost 12pm. I groaned and fell on the bed. I raised my head when I heard Nate come through my balcony doors. He trailed his eyes around the room until they landed on me.

"Tough morning?" I groaned again. It seems the whole situation was very amusing because Nate started laughing. "I take it as a yes." I groaned again. "You wanted to. From my point of view you could've come with me over Arche's." I turned on my back and look at him, an eyebrow quirked up.

"From my point of view I would've been the only girl in a house full with creatures. James is an unpredictable, hormonal and moody pervert, Alex is a man whore who would annoy the hell out of me to the infinite and Eric will try to make everything better, make me happy and struggle with this painfully blame that I went crazy, as everyone says, because of him." Nate stood there speechless. My point of view was definitely very logical.

"Alright…you're right. We're all a bunch of hormonal, depraved perverts. Maybe it's not such a good idea for you to stay with us…but from time to time it would be nice if you'd just come over." I raised an eyebrow at my brother. There was something wrong with how he put the problem.

"What do you mean live with _us_? You don't live with them, Nate. You're just…camping there for a week." He stopped talking and blinking, even. He knew I caught him. He sighed and sat next to me on the bed. He let himself fall back and turned his head to look at me. We stood there staring at each other for almost ten minutes, I guess, until he started talking.  
>"I want to move in with them." I didn't really know how to react. My brother just told me he wants to move out when he's still in school and dad is a little stressed over this whole new vampires coming to town thing.<p>

"You know that Alex has a big trail of shit behind him and that's why those vampires want to come and rip his head off…right?" He nodded. "You do realize they will kill anything that comes between them and their mission, right?" He nodded again. I was getting annoyed. "You won't be safe, moron!" He nodded. "Argh!" I turned my back to my laughing brother and narrowed my eyes.

"Aw. It's really cute that you care, Stel but I'm a big guy. I am your older brother even if I don't usually act like it." I humph-ed and stood still. He rolled his eyes and sat up, on his butt.

"Nate…we always say they come, they want to kill, they want to…mate but they don't know I'm alive." Nate did an approving noise. "But when they will enter the town…"

"They did already." I rolled back and faced my brother. I sat up, my mouth opened. "Yeah. I forgot to tell you. Actually, that's the reason I choose to visit you. They're here. James thinks they might lose themselves in the crowd but we should be able to track them down…somehow." He furrowed his eyebrows, not really sure of what he said. We both knew we weren't really good at controlling ourselves.

"Ok. So they're here. Nate…what will happen when they'll figure out that I'm alive? What will happen when they will see me?" Nate's expression was thunderstruck. He didn't think about what will happen after they will come. No one did actually. They were happy enough with the idea that they knew.

"I guess we will have to…hide you." I raised an eyebrow.

"How? Are you going to put a bag on my head?" He shrugged.

"I don't know. But we will find something." He smiled nicely and gone he was. I rolled my eyes and fell back on the bed when my phone rang again.

_"Where are you?"_ I glanced at the clock near the bed and saw it was almost 2. Wow. Time does fly fast when you know you won't die unexpectedly.  
>"I'm sorry. I'll be there in a flash." I rolled my eyes when she started commenting.<p>

_"I would pay to see that."_ I smirked.

"I'll be there in five. I want lunch." I heard her approval and gone I was. Of course, through my balcony, because dad's family was still downstairs.


	26. Chapter 26

**Chapter 26: First Attempt**

On the other side, already at Fey's was Alex. He was looking around for his 'lovely' date. Both he and Adrian chose to have their dates on day while James preferred the night. Alex had a slight idea why the older vampire wanted that but he didn't say anything. The younger vampire rolled his eyes when he didn't catch a glimpse of that girl that paid for a date with him.

"Women…" He mumbled. There was a time schedule they had to go with and that woman was late. Very late. Alex wanted to get over that and go home and relax or maybe call Stella but no, what's-her-name had to be late. He glanced at the bartender and paid for another drink.

The door to the bar opened and got Alex curious so he turned to look over. There were two persons that entered and one was his favorite girl in the world. He raised and went smiley to her. The supposed date went smiley too and started walking over him but Alex passed her, letting the girl speechless, and went to Stella.

"What are you doing here?" He asked her. She shrugged.

"I had five minutes to arrive here where Tracy should be." Alex nodded. He did saw Tracy in the back of the bar with a few other humans, talking loud and dancing. "What are you doing here?" She asked back, smirking. He rolled his eyes and glanced at the female sitting at the bar, watching them. She smiled at Alex and Stella chuckled.

"That's my date. She paid good money for me. Lucky bitch." Stella raised an eyebrow amused.

"Oh, lucky you." She laughed more when he looked at her annoyed. She shook her head and pushed him towards the bar. "I'll go look after Tracy. You go to your date." He opened his eyes more and smirked.  
>"Fine. But you owe me for doing this." Stella scoffed.<p>

"I don't. You wanted to go to the party and you wanted the attention." He pouted but Stella didn't seem to care. She smiled sarcastically and went further into the bar. Alex watched her until she disappeared after a corner. He glanced to his date, who smiled at him again flirty. He couldn't do anything but sigh and hope she won't be too pushy. He doesn't want to kill her…at least, not yet.

Tracy was surprised when Stella arrived in exactly five minutes. The vampire smirked proudly and stared deep in her eyes. That stare gave a weird feeling to Tracy, one of inferiority.

"I'm here and like I said, it took me five minutes. Don't forget you owe me lunch."Tracy nodded and rolled her eyes, that feeling disappearing as fast as it came. Stella walked up on the stage, remembering slowly the time when she won her first prize in Firehole, and saw Austin talking with Roy. Not far was Alex who had a perfect view, his date staying opposite him, trying to get his attention. The vampire, though, wasn't too interested in the female in front. His eyes were slowly trailing behind the human female, to Stella.

The entire rehearsal went worse than Stella could imagine. Firstly, Sam was indeed very harsh when it came to her dance and from some unknown reason, hated Stella with passion. She could as well stand and just breathe and Sam would start complaining.

"Stop!" Sam yelled, closing abruptly the song, again. She looked at each teenager and her eyes landed on Stella, who was trying to stay calm. On the other side Alex blocked his date's voice completely and was listening to the girls. "Stella you don't even try! Where's the passion? Where's your will to dance? I don't want to be ashamed when we'll get on the stage." Stella rolled her eyes.

"I'm trying. I actually do but you seem to complain about anything I do." Sam glared at her and walked closer.

"Maybe you should stop _disappearing_ with Eric and pay attention to your friends." Stella's eyebrow twitched.

"What's that supposed to mean?" She asked, slowly losing her calm. Sam smirked.  
>"I mean exactly what I said. Maybe you shouldn't go with your boyfriends who knows where and come to school where your friends are. Then you might actually have an idea of what we are doing here." Stella's eyes flashed red when Sam turned her back and walked to her laptop. Austin saw how pissed Stella got and glanced expectantly at Alex. The vampire didn't even blink.<p>

However, everything faded from Stella's vision. She could see just the mere human that dared to insult her. She felt something inside snap and a wave of memories came on her mind. She fixed Sam with a deadly glare and hissed. She started walking slowly to Sam, ready to snap her head. Alex saw what intentions she had and got up from his seat. The mad vampire was ready to grab Sami when Alex flashed there and caught her waist. He flashed again out the front door. Austin wasn't too surprised of what happened but he was curious what will happen next.


	27. Chapter 27

**Chapter 27: Outta My Head**

Outside, Stella still had fangs and red eyes. Alex grabbed her face and forced her to look into his eyes.

"Stella. Calm down. Everything's ok." Stella growled and pushed Alex into the wall, her hand squeezing his neck.

"Don't order me around. I changed you, Alex." The younger vampire widened his eyes. Stella let go of him and flashed somewhere. He caught his breath and gulped. That was bad news.

When the door to the bar opened, out got everyone from the small circle Stella was in. Austin stopped and glanced at Alex. Sami did too, surprisingly, but didn't stop. Austin raised a superior eyebrow.

"That was just the beginning." Alex narrowed his eyes at the teenager.

"What do you know?" Austin smirked.

"More than you." Alex sighed and closed his eyes, concentrating on what he should do next. "I will help you because Stella is a good friend." Alex scoffed.

"Yeah right. You're just scared, pathetic human." Austin glared and in a few moments Alex got himself in the same position Stella had him. "Ok, maybe you're not that pathetic." The human let Alex fall on his feet and kept the distance."Tell your friends to keep an eye on everything. Mostly Stella. Don't let her meet someone inappropriate." Alex furrowed his eyebrows, curious. Austin left after those last words and so did Alex, forgetting about his date.

With Stella things weren't too pink. She flashed away from Alex and went to the only place she felt partially free. The forest. It was weird how fast she relaxed once inside. She walked to the small lake, at a much slower pace than before and washed her face, trying to regain full control.

"The princess is losing control?" She raised her head, tensing. She turned slowly her head and came face to face with thin air. There was nothing, no one. "Aw, are you searching for me?" She turned her head to left and to right, still there was no one. "You can't see me…you can't see what's inside of you. You can just listen, you can't oppose. Like old times when you couldn't fight back to your wishes or needs. Look at your reflection in the water. What do you see?" Stella did as the voice said and looked down. She gasped. Her eyes were red, her fangs were covered with blood. Actually, she had blood on her entire face and clothes. Her hair was messy and her lips were quirked up in a sadistic smirk. "You don't like what you see don't you? But that's what you truly are. You can't even defend yourself in your present situation. You have just two idiots fighting for your heart, an older brother, a human father and an older vampire that doesn't give a shit about your fate. They can't protect your forever. Open your mind, Stella." The vampire started breathing harder, the air around smelling of fresh blood. She got up and away from the water. She backed off until she felt the tree behind her, her back hitting it. "Open your mind and revive. Let the real Stella Blanche out." The female dropped down on her knees, her head between her hands, eyes closed tightly.

"Get out of my head." The voice started chuckling, that sadistic tone still there.

"I am you. Today you wanted to kill that pathetic human. Today you just proved that I'm still there, locked inside your soul. You are me, your soul it's mine and I will have it back, _**one way or another**_." Stella's head raised and gasped, the voice disappearing. She glanced down at her hands and sighed.


	28. Chapter 28

**Chapter 28: Mysterious Woman**

On the other side of the town, more precisely in the much calmer center of Firehole where teenagers don't have the guts or money to go, Adrian Monroe was sitting at a table of two, a young and pretty woman opposite him. They were laughing and talking and joking and it seemed his date was quite a catch. She wasn't too tall, mostly because he wasn't either, yet she wasn't too tiny. She was perfect for Adrian but he didn't like her in that way. She was a smart and nice woman but he was a vampire slayer. Not a good match.

Anyway, in the same restaurant was another woman with big green eyes, greener than Stella's, reading the newspaper and drinking coffee. At first glance nothing was unusual, but at a closer inspection you could see she had guns and knives at her waist and in her coat. She was listening to the busy people around her and at the same time inspecting the surroundings. The newspaper was just a diversion, so she could work in peace. Her eyes traveled to Adrian a few times. There was just something unusual around him, even though she could swear he's as innocent as he looked. She interrupted her thoughts when her phone rang.

"Yes?" On the other side of the phone line she heard something snap and almost smirked. "Found another one?" The person on the other line chuckled.

"_Found and exterminated. It's weird, though. Too easy."_ The woman nodded, even if the other person couldn't see her. She had the same thoughts. Something wasn't what it looked to be. Since she came in Firehole, she saw just a few night creatures and killed them instantly. Then, there has been _that_ time. She remembered every single word that vampire said.

_Raining, calm rain, silence on the road. There was no one except one car.___

_"Why do we go to Firehole, again?" A woman with green eyes and dark brown hair glanced at the teenager next to her and smiled.___

_"Because it needs us. Bloodsuckers aren't something easy to deal with." The teenager girl sighed and turned her head to watch on the window. However, something landed on the car, hard. The woman stopped the car and glanced again at her daughter. "Stay inside." The girl scoffed. The mother smirked and took two guns from the back. She gave one to her daughter and they both got out, silently. On the car was nothing. The woman heard a noise coming from the forest. Both females looked at each other and nodded. They started to make their way into the dark. There was nothing weird and no noises, until a branch snapped behind the woman. "Dana…come closer." The girl couldn't respond because something caught her and put its hand over her mouth. When the woman didn't hear anything back she glared at nothing in particularity. "Come out! Show yourself!" She felt a chill down her spine and that when she saw it. A man, in his middle twenties, with her precious daughter. "Let her go." The vampire smirked cockily.___

_"Or what? Blow my brain out? It got old." The woman rolled her eyes and shot him in the hand. Surprisingly, it hurt. "I know it got. But you're an idiot if you underestimate a vampire slayer. These bullets aren't like any other. They're not just made of silver. I know vampires these days found a new weapon…amethysts." The vampire started laughing.___

_"That's old too. Amethysts were found by the noble families. There have been four of them. Two are still alive." The woman was indeed surprised. She thought all of them died. "Blanche and Arche. The most powerful of all of them. But the most dangerous is Stella Blanche." The woman flinched. "Oh, so you heard of her. It said that she was devil reincarnated. She's under control now…but for how long?" The vampire started laughing again, darkly, but it didn't scare the female. None of them. They were annoyed. "I'm here just to see her. Just one glance. I heard she's pretty and smart. Vampires from all around the world will camp here for the same reason when they will figure she's alive." The woman gasped.___

_"But that means not everyone knows about her existence?" The vampire let go of Dana and flashed in front of her mother.___

_"No. No one knows, actually. They're coming to Firehole for a different reason." The woman glared at him.___

_"Why do you tell me this?" He smirked.___

_"Because Firehole will become a battlefield soon enough. And Stella, dear Stella will be the cherry on top. You" He started, pointing to both humans. "…will become our toys." He laughed evilly for the last time and flashed away. The woman sighed and hugged Dana, happy that she's alive and unharmed._


	29. Chapter 29

**Chapter 29: Afraid**

She couldn't forget that night. It happened a few days ago and it was still fresh. What the vampire said, the information he told her was precious and dangerous. She looked all over Firehole for a Stella Blanche but there was none with that name. The documents she searched for weren't in the library. And now, the only thing she can do is looking out after dangerous vampires. She got a hand through her hair, tired of the lately events and sighed.

"Are you alright?" She opened her eyes to meet a pair of brown big orbs. They were staring at her with such warmth but it was obvious there was sadness and worry behind them.

" Um…did I do something?" He chuckled and shook his head. After that, he sat down on the chair next to her.

"No. I just saw you here alone and thought why not come and meet you." She chuckled and smiled at the man.

"And the serious reason is…?" He started laughing.

"I just finished my date and I'm really happy that I got it over with. Also, I've seen you glancing over a few times. I was curious." She smirked mysteriously.

"Curiosity killed the cat." He nodded. "Well I was just observing. How come you're so happy that you finished your date? Too much too carry for your age?" She intended it to be a joke and he did take it as one, he laughed.

"Yes. Yes it is. She was too nice." He whispered the last part. The woman smiled widely.

"I'm Billie." He shook her hand and smiled.

"Adrian. I do feel right now as a teenager." She looked at him again. He didn't look old at all and he was fit. He had big brown eyes, brown hair and a very childish like smile. He was cute.

Back home, to the Blanche residence, Nate was trying hard to ignore his aunt's flirting. He was getting so pissed that he could swear he'll torture her and let her half dead. He wouldn't get his fangs through her filthy flesh.

"Can you let me breath for a mere hour?" He yelled, finally getting it out. Emily looked taken back and glared at him. She left, Nate sighing freely. He got up too of the sofa and walked into Stella's room. It was a surprise to see Stella already there, well on the balcony, watching outside. It was dawn and so the sun was changing positions with the moon. "Are you in one of those moments?" Stella didn't even turn her head. He raised an eyebrow.

"What moods?" Her voice was blank with no emotion in it. Nate walked closer to her, inspected her. Something was different. One obvious clue was her pendant. The ouroboros was a strange reddish color.

"What happened, Stella?" The tone he had was the one of an older protective vampire. He wanted the truth even if she would still hide some information. She turned her head to look him in his eyes. Her orbs weren't green. Not completely. It started as green but closer to the iris were red. "Did you feed?" She nodded. "On a human?" She turned her head back to the original position. "Did you?" She sighed.

"It's complicated." He raised an eyebrow.

"What?" She kept her head up and eyes looking outside, to the forest.

"To control myself." His troubles expression let his supposed to be feelings show. "She wants out. She wants to be free. She wants blood and the possibility to choose."

"Who?" His voice and face were cold. He got bold and serious. She sighed again.

"Myself. My true self. My soul. I can control my body but my mind is going crazy. I took a break from being who I am and now I want back the freedom." He glared down at his sister.

"You are free." She narrowed her eyes at her brother. The glint she had surprised Nate. He got the same feeling of inferiority as Tracy, but not as big.

"I won't for too long. I can feel them and it makes me anxious." Nate put a hand on hers and looked much softer at her.

"We're here. You don't need to be afraid of inferior vampires." She looked down at their hands.

"I'm not afraid of them. I'm afraid of myself." She took her hand back and walked inside, leaving Nate dumbfounded on the balcony, looking into the distance.

"I am too." He sighed and walked in her room that talk, Nate left and surprisingly enough, Adrian took the women, all of them, sightseeing. Stella remained dumbfounded when she heard about that. What could've been seen in such a small city? Trees? Part of her thought that maybe her father just wanted to let her calm down in silence. Unfortunately, there was a need of something more to calm her down.

She was on the bed when she closed her eyes and hoped for silence, just for a small amount of time. That's when the bell rang, making the female vampire growl in annoyance. She She got off the bed, hard, and walked to open the door.

"You know, you can just appear out of nowhere in my room, like most vampires seem to enjoy doing." Eric rolled his eyes and entered the house. Stella simply went and jumped on the couch.

"What's wrong?" Stella shrugged.

"From where do you want me to start? Firstly, I can't even get out of the house without feeling watched or paranoid that one of those vampires saw me." Eric nodded, understanding the feeling. "I know it's Alex and from time to time, Nate or even James! But I'm a big girl and if I could kill without remorse once, I can do it again." Eric flinched.

"Why would you do that? No one wants you to become like that again." Stella sighed and sat on her butt, legs crossed.

"Then why do these vampires come? Not for revenge? They want to kill me." Eric saw how stressed Stella became and hugged her, close and tight.

"You have us to protect you. Nate won't let anything happen to you. And even if I hate to recognize it, Alex will never stop caring for you." He let go of Stella but remained close. He put his hand on her check and started stroking it softly. Stella smiled and closed her eyes. When she opened them, Eric's lips were just a few inches from hers. Eric glanced at her lips hungrily. He has wanted her since forever and now she trusted him enough to let him have her. Stella had other plans, though. She smirked and flashed away from him. He growled and went after her. She tried to get to the door but Eric caught her and slammed her in the wall. They start kissing hungrily, the heat radiating from both vampires. Teeth slammed against each other, tongues started a passionate war. Eric's hands started to travel from her waist to her hips and with one move, he raised Stella by her legs and she wrapped them tightly around his waist. He flashed into her room and threw her on the bed.

Their eyes were red like fire and the passion fully consumed them. Eric jumped like a wolf over its prey and started attacking her. Their kisses became more and more heated and rougher.

He hovered over her like an animal. He started attacking her neck and slipped his hands under her shirt as he straddled her waist. She laid her head back for more space and groaned. After her shirt was out of sight, Stella's eyes widened as he kissed her harder this time, with more hunger. She wrapped her arms around his neck, slipping one hand in his dark brown hair, pulling it when the kiss was getting hotter. The male vampire got rid fast of her bra and kissed between her breasts, leaving red bruises.

Eric wanted her so, so bad, more than anything in his life. He had never thought he will get to the point his body will scream for hers. The peace was getting slower so Stella rolled the two over so she was on top. He didn't even look taken back. She arched as his hands were on her hips, his mouth on her tummy. His blue eyes were even deeper than usually, lust and passion clouding his mind and eyes. She leaned in and kissed him deeply, tongues battling lustfully. She started trailing kisses from his lips to his check, to his collarbone where she stopped for a little while to suck on and eventually to his neck. She started sucking and nipping and she lashed her canines in his flesh, making the male give a guttural growl. She smirked but she didn't expect his next move. He pulled by her hair hard enough to take her head and brought her face to his.

"No biting, Stella."She glared. She left her hand wonder down to his pants and to his dick. He growled and slightly let go of her hair when she started massaging softly down there. He still had his pants on. Actually, both of them have them. Eric forced over and kissed her lips. The kiss became just a diversion to let his hands wonder down her fit stomach and to her short pants. Even if the kiss was still going, none having the need to breathe, and started unbuttoning each other's pants. They kind of flew everywhere but nowhere important. They both stopped the kiss and looked at each other.  
>Right then he needn't anything but to be inside the feisty vampire. He got his boxers off as well as her panties. He rested his forehead against her and plunged inside of her, deep and hard, which made the vampire female growl. Of course, Stella, being herself, started bucking her hips in the moment he got in, groaning and mumbling swears under her breath. He grunted as he started to move in and out at the same peace as her, rough and fast. She wrapped her arms around his neck and he bent his head down, resting it on the crook of her shoulder and neck. "Do you have second thoughts?" He growled and let his fangs show out and stuck them into her soft flesh. She groaned, her own eyes reddening.<p>

He started to go faster and harder, getting grunts from her. At one moment she wrapped her legs around his waist, making him go deeper. "Shit."They both groaned. She rested her head against his as he pumped harder and faster than before. She felt the heat knotting in her stomach and she was close to her release, yet so far. She wanted more, they both did. She rolled on top of him, still connected. Their skin slapped together, making a clapping sound, as they both moaned and groaned. "Dammit." He mumbled. She was going pretty fast and he was raising his hips up too, their muscles contracting.  
>She arched her back high, pressing her chest against his, when he rolled over her again. Her nails dug into his shoulders. They were both close. Eric held onto her tighter as he thrust at an inhuman speed. Her nails dug deeper in his shoulder as she could feel that knot in her stomach grow. She hissed and her vision got blurry and she came, hard. Eric kept thrusting a few more times until he reached his own climax too with a grunt, masked in her neck. His thrusts start slowing down and eventually stopped.<p>

"I fucking love being a vampire right now." Eric chuckled and laid next to her.


	30. Chapter 30

**Chapter 30: Normality**

The next few days have been horrible for the female one day happened fast and neither Stella nor Eric talked about it. It happened just in the spur of the the fact that the only places she could go were the school and the bar and then back home, Alex and Eric were bickering almost every time and Nate was quiet, Stella also had to deal with her father's family. Like, that day, it was Saturday and she was free of school and wanted nothing else but stay inside and sleep. Unfortunately, Emily's younger daughter was just six years old and she wanted to go in the park. Of course Emily was too busy haunting hot guys to be attentive to her daughter and, who had to deal with the little pain? Stella.

"No." Adrian rolled his eyes and sighed. "I'm not doing it." Adrian looked at his sister, who was meanwhile glaring at me, and turned back and stared at me with an innocent pleading look.

"Please. Do this for me. She will start annoying me with how I don't raise you right. I don't need her on my head too." He whispered to his vampire daughter.

"What about me?" I whispered back, narrowing my eyes. "They are already here. If they see me, they will start the annoyance. I don't need more than I already deal with." He sighed and rubbed his forehead. We both glanced back in the kitchen to see Aunt Belle glaring at both of us while sipping from her coffee.

"Do you think we can put a bag on your head? Or sun glasses?" I stared stupidly at my father.

"I don't think so, dad. Tell Nate." I was ready to leave when he grabbed my hand.

"Take Eric. He should take care of you. I trust him more than Alex." I raised an eyebrow.

"And what about Nate?" He shook his head and sighed disappointed, glancing up the stairs.

"It's something different. He's…changing again. He wants to find his personality, back. I'm afraid he seeks what he cannot find." He glanced down at the still curious Stella. "I'm afraid he wants some memory about how he helped you or what he has done, on his own. There might not be such a memory. He might feel…used." I nodded.

Well, in the end, I did have to take little Gracie to the park. Thankfully, it was right in the center of the town so no vampire would attack me with so many humans around.

"Auntie Stella! Come, come!" It was so hard to hate the small girl. She looked so innocent and she had no idea what's going to happen in the near future. I took a seat on the nearest bench and looked up at the sky. The clouds were moving slowly, like boats on ocean. Slowly and graciously, seeking for adventure like I was, until then. But again, there was also the rain. When the peaceful clouds turn black and watch down at the inferior creatures, from time to time attacking them with thunders and lightning. It's not every time so powerful or destructive, but it's frightening.

"Already falling asleep?" My eyes popped open and glanced at the male beside me. I smiled softly, looking into his ocean blue eyes. "Your father called me. It seems I have to play bodyguard for today." I chuckled and turned my attention on Grace. She was playing with a few other children in the sand. When she saw me looking over she smiled and waved. I waved back. Her eyes traveled slowly to Eric and waved at him too. Eric was perplexed at first but smiled and waved back, eventually.

"I don't understand why he put me in charge of such a helpless girl. She's in danger as long as she's near me. Everyone is. I might even snap and feed on her." Eric rolled his eyes.

"You underestimate yourself, as usual." I scoffed and playfully punched him. He raised an eyebrow and looked down at me, amused. "You're such a child." I rolled my eyes and folded my hands, pouting.

"Eric…what do you think about Nate?" He raised his head and glanced at his old, long 'lost and destined' love.  
>"What do you mean? He's a nice guy." I shook my head.<p>

"Lately, he's very silent. Shouldn't I be the one in that situation? I snapped once, I'm going to snap again and my old self wants freedom. I should be the silent and emo one." He started laughing, out of nowhere. I gave him a stupid glance and waited. "I'm happy my life seems so funny to you." He stopped and narrowed his eyes.

"I guess…You never cease to surprise me with your…choose of words." I rolled my eyes and playfully punched him, again. He playfully glared and that was the start of a new 'confrontation'.

"Aunt Stella…are you done flirting?" I stopped abruptly when I heard the small, childish voice. I bet if I could blush, we would've. Both me and Eric. He, though, did something that shocked me. He grabbed my shoulders and put me into a hug, like the young lovers do.

"We're done." I started, smiling down at her. He let go of me and bent down to her. "What's your name?" She blushed and smiled embarrassed.

"Gracie. What's yours?" Eric stuck his hand out and stared intently, like he always does when it comes to humans, at the child.

"I'm Eric. A friend of your auntie." Her smiled grew bigger and shook hands with Eric.

"Are you her boyfriend?" Eric glanced at me and smirked.

"Maybe." The girl started giggling and I rolled my eyes, smiling. It seems Eric changed a lot since I first arrived in Firehole. He became much…un-Edward-ish.

"I think you should stop talking, Eric." Gracie laughed while Eric glanced back to me.


	31. Chapter 31

**Chapter 31: Remembering**

While Stella and Eric were happily enjoying their time, eyes from afar were watching intently. Alex bent his head down when he saw how much Stella smiles around Eric. He turned his back and walked deeper into the forest. Surprisingly, he wasn't that jealous. He felt a small pain inside his head, not heart. Vampires usually don't have feelings and when they have, the supposedly feelings are just lost emotions. Pieces that link vampires to humans. The younger vampire sighed and closed his eyes. He felt at ease, knowing there's someone with Stella. Right then, he really didn't give a shit about the vampires after him. He just wanted to keep her safe, in the end, that's the reason he even came back to Firehole. He grabbed the small pendant from his back pocket and stared at him. It shined brightly in the sun, reflecting a shadow behind. Alex's eyes became emotionless and blank, no emotion or glint coming out of them. He put the small silver Caduceus back and stared in front. He waited there, now feeling more than one vampire around. The creature was getting closer and when it launched at him, Alex's eyes changed and his fangs grew bigger. He turned in time and caught the vampire's fist, throwing him hardly into the distance. After that one, came more. Alex found himself cornered by five vampires, in no time. He didn't glare at none, but they did. They were furious.

"Finally found. You're a hard one to catch, aren't you Alexander?" He rolled his eyes.

"Well, I'm sorry. Next time I'll go somewhere else, in a clearing or maybe the dessert. That way you'll be able to find me in a second. I'd be the only dead body walking around." He stopped for a moment, seeing as the vampire who talked got annoyed. "Like a zombie." He finished smirking. Another unknown vampire launched at Alex but he simply got out of the way. "That's all you've got?" Other two vampires launched at Alex and he started fighting with more force. He threw one in a tree while he punched the shit out of the other. When he thought it was enough he stopped and threw that one too. He turned back to the gutsiest one and smirked. "Aren't you going to fight me too, Ames?" The vampire, Ames, glared at the much younger vampire but didn't do anything. Both vampires felt someone stronger coming their way. Ames left, his powers too rusted for the older vampire. James arrived in the spot exactly when everyone but Alex left.

"Thanks for ruining my fun." James rolled his eyes at the powerful but still young male vampire. Alex glanced to where he has thrown the three vampires. "What about them?" James smirked and flicked his fingers. Yells started erupting into the silence. Alex raised an eyebrow and walked closer to James.

"Done." James's smirk was very much like the one Stella used to have. Sadistic, evil, scary.

"How did you do that?" James started chuckling and turned his back, ready to go back home. He had a date that night and he was just so anxious to meet his dinner.

"Family secret." That was the last line he said before flashing out of there. Alex rolled his eyes and went back to the nothing he was doing.  
>Back with Stella, Eric was a very good company. Gracie took the freedom to grab both vampires by their hands and swing them while walking to get ice cream. The child's innocence started rubbing on Stella, a lot. She didn't want to get her to the park yet it turned out to be a pretty good idea.<p>

"So, Stella…" I stopped spacing out and looked at Eric. In that moment he looked exactly like any other senior student. "You never really told me about your life." I raised an eyebrow amused.

"Which one?" Eric chuckled and shook his head.

"The one where you didn't become a killing machine." I narrowed my eyes playfully at him and smirked. I glanced in front and saw an ice cream shop. It wasn't like the old ones where it was just a car driving around with the same old music after it. It was very modern, with chairs and tables. Actually, it looked pretty much like a small cafe, but with ice cream. Eric trailed his eyes to where I was looking and smiled. "Gracie, do you want ice cream?" She looked up at him with shining eyes and nodded. I chuckled. In that very moment I really felt like an aunt. A very old one. We walked there and Eric bought each one of us an ice cream with strawberry topping. I licked my lips, thinking about how much it looked like blood. Unfortunately, I drank none the whole day and even if I didn't look like, I could feel the slight burning in my neck. When I looked up, Eric was staring at me. After he shook his head and scolded me, we sat at one of the tables outside. Gracie was absorbed in her dessert so Eric took the liberty to start back the conversation. "Well…?" I sighed and licked the topping.

"You're seriously interested?" He nodded and made an approving noise. "Alright. I guess I'll start with the beginning. I don't remember anything before the day I met Adrian."


	32. Chapter 32

**Chapter 32: Flashbacks**

_In a small house, Stella and Nate were sleeping peacefully on the bed, Nate having his sister in a tight hug. The door to the room they were in opened and entered two men. One was old, with beard and white hair. He wore a dark suit and his eyes were staring coldly at his surroundings. Next to him was a much younger man, in his early twenties. He had brown childish eyes and brown hair and he looked very uncomfortable. He wore a different outfit than the older man consisting of a pair of black converse, blue jeans, white shirt and a coat. His hair was messy and he looked handsome. His eyes trailed to the older and slowly to the two siblings. His gaze softened. The older brother, even asleep, was taking care of his sister. However, the old man wasn't as nice as him.__  
><em>_"Wake up!" He didn't yell, but his voice was firm and cold. The girl didn't stir but the boy opened his eyes. They were red and it shocked the younger man. "Stay behind me Adrian." The so called man nodded and took a step back. Like awaited, Nate launched himself at the older and growled. He was ready to snap his head when he saw Adrian. His eyes stared at Adrian's soft eyes. He didn't look like a vampire slayer at all. Actually, he didn't look like even wanted to be there and something was soothing about him. Nate stopped and grabbed his hands back. He glanced back, knowing Stella woke up and now watched them. He backed off, behind her. Adrian looked at the girl. She wasn't that small but she looked fragile. Her eyes weren't red but she did have fangs. He wasn't scared, though. Not even a little. He walked, courageously to her and smiled. Her eyes were so innocent that it broke his heart.___

_"It's ok. I won't hurt your sister." He said knowingly. Nate still had his guard up. "I'm Adrian Monroe. What's your name?" He started talking to her as to a frightened child.___

_"Stella. Why am I here? Where are my parents?" Adrian glanced at his master, curious. She was a vampire yet she wanted to her parents? Something wasn't what it seemed.___

_"What's she talking about, master Ronald." The so called master signed for Adrian to sit next to him, on the other bed in the room.___

_"You have in front of you the worst and most dangerous vampire alive. That's Stella Blanche." Adrian glanced at Stella surprised. She didn't look like a vampire in the first place, but a dangerous one. The one that destroyed so many lives. It was impossible.___

_"But she looks so…tiny." Master Ronald nodded.___

_"There is a whole history behind her transformation. But one thing I know for sure. She didn't use to be evil. Nathan, her brother, never left her side. He's as loyal as you are, Adrian." He nodded.___

_"Why do you show me this?" The master smiled a creepy old man's smile.___

_"Because this is your lifetime mission." Adrian furrowed his eyebrows together, not getting the plan. "You, Adrian Monroe, vampire slayer will take under your wing these two powerful vampires." He gasped and stared at his master in shock.___

_"What? But you said it yourself. They are dangerous. Why would they want to be cared of by me when they have each other?" The master stared deeply at Stella.___

_"They suffered and they still do. I'm sure you'll teach them how to be normal teenagers with normal and boring lives. Your mission is to be a parent." Adrian's mouth was still opened. He trailed over the two vampires who didn't have the slightest idea what they were. They just listened to their intuition.___

_"Why me?" The master sighed and patted Adrian on the back.___

_"You've seen Nathan's reaction when he saw you. That's a sign. I knew your kindness will be enough. Maybe you are a strict and great vampire slayer but you have a good heart and I want you to teach them how to open their hearts too."___

_"But they are dead. Vampires don't have feelings." Master Ronald stared blankly at his student.___

_"Then teach them how to feel again, Adrian." The older vampire slayer left the room while the younger one stood there, thinking over and over again what he got into._

And you remembered this when?" Stella sighed.

"I never forgot that time. I just pushed it in the back of my mind. I never thought it's important. I didn't know what they were talking about. I was scared." Eric nodded and Stella took it as a sign to continue.

_Days have gone faster than Adrian would've imagined. Stella and Nate became soon accustomed with his apartment and with their new father. It has gone five years and Stella slowly became a beautiful teenage girl while Nate became quite popular through the town. Yet, there was something they didn't understand. The other children were changing, growing up while they were the same. One day, Stella got too curious and went to her father.___

_"Dad…are you in here?" She opened the door to his room and checked for Adrian. On the bed was his body, exhausted, tired and every adjective that has a connection with the first two. "Are you ok?" The man groaned and looked up to his vampire daughter.___

_"What's wrong Stella?" She entered in the room and sat on the bed.___

_"Why don't we grow up?" When he heard the question, Adrian's head raised instantly.___

_"What do you mean?" He never thought about a lie for that question. He knew it will pop up sometimes but he hoped it will be as late as possible.___

_"The kids from the neighborhood change, the girls have breasts and well…they just go through transformations. Girls about my age look younger than I do. They get what I have, just now." Adrian opened his mouth a little, thinking overdrive. "And Nate…he's handsome but maybe…too handsome for his age."___

_"Stella…you have to understand that some kids grow faster than others. Your and Nate's bodies mature faster. That's how it works. You never know when from 14 you get to look like you're about 20." Stella nodded, content with the answer and when she left, Adrian sighed and collapsed back on his bed._

Eric laughed when he heard Stella's story. She playfully glared at him and hit him with her leg.

"It's not funny." Eric raised an eyebrow.

"It was obvious something was wrong yet you believed him?" Stella nodded, chuckling. Eric shook his head. "You're something else." The female vampire nodded smirking.

"You should know already how 'different' I am." Eric glared at her smirking face.


	33. Chapter 33

**Chapter 33: They Saw**

"You should know already how 'different' I am." Eric glared at her smirking face.

"Anyway…that was when we started to ask more questions about us. He never told me much and Nate wasn't that interested. He was thankful with what we had. But sometimes there needed to be a woman in the house and when dad told us about his date we got curious."

"Did you meet one of your father's ladies?" Stella started to laugh.

"Yes. All of them. Sometimes dad and Nate would talk about girls and what they like in one, or how their perfect match would look like. Nate's stereotype never changed. He had a lot of girlfriends, girls were like bees and he was the honey." Eric looked incredulously amused by her words. "But he never found a good one. Just messed around."

"And that's how he got in jail and hospital?" Stella chocked on her ice cream and had a fit.

"No! He loved parties and girls and sex." Eric rolled his eyes. Stella looked down at Gracie to see her playing with her fingers. "Gracie, do you want to go play in the park over there?" The kid nodded. Eric flashed her to the park and told her not to talk with strangers or go with them and to stay close. The girl nodded and went to the swings. "We should go closer. I don't want her harmed…" Stella started again when Eric flashed back. He shook his head.

"It's alright. Firehole is a nice place and no one will harm her. She's human, she's safe." Stella rolled her eyes.

"Alex is around too, isn't he?" Eric chuckled but nodded. "Ok. So, Nate never found his perfect girl because he never met a vampire girl. That's what he actually wanted. And…" Eric interrupted her.

"He wanted someone kind of like Beatrice, right?" Stella nodded. She did learn that Beatrice was her mother's name. "That's almost impossible to find these days. That woman had so much class, she was beautiful and smart and you are the only one with that superior attitude, but in a good way." Stella rolled her eyes.

"You should shut up now." He nodded. "So, back to the original story. Nate was flirty like any other vampire, and of course he had that gift to lure girls into wanting more. But some girls had boyfriends and brothers…who were playing football or some sport and were pretty damn fit. Nate isn't very…big." Eric started to chuckle. "He didn't master his power too good and sometimes at all. So when he beat the crap out of someone he would get in jail and when he would lose, in hospital." Eric was stunned. That Nate sounds so different than the one he met. "But one day, dad came home with a woman he really liked. Her name was Alice. They married and that's when hell started. For the first few months we were genuinely happy. But Alice didn't know what we are or what's dad's job. He would leave for days and come back tired and stressed. We never commented but she started to. One day, Nate got mad because for some unknown reason she didn't let him go out with friends. He growled and pushed her, hard. She flew into the wall and his eyes changed. I thought it's normal for some reason, and it was. His powers were reviving. She got scared and mad and stressed dad with it. He told her the truth and surprisingly, she took it pretty well."

"And what went wrong?"

"Dad had to travel around for his job. Vampires were moving and he had to chase them. We traveled with him. It seems Alice didn't get used to it or the idea that her 'children' are older than she is and much hotter." Eric scoffed at the proud vampire. "She didn't get through her thick human head that we were under control. That night with the fight, dad also heard from some vampire about me and remembered what his master told him. He told Alice and she didn't like it one bit. They started the fight and she chose to leave. They got a divorce and I didn't understand why but in time…I realized the reason. Coming to Firehole was the best idea ever. I met you, I started reviving my past and my old self."

"Do you think reviving your old self is good?" Stella nodded.

"That's ME. Of course I want to. I want to remember, I want to be free and choose what's good and bad. I don't want to stay like this forever. I'm afraid I will kill everyone and I will lose control of my rage. I want to but I can't. For me it's a good thing because I finally know who I am." Eric stood there, watching Stella. She was right, they were all against her and her wishes. They wanted the best for the city, for the world but mostly for themselves. Having Stella Blanche back alive would cause a disaster through the simple fact that she's superior over all of them and she has power. She could rule the vampire world if she wants to. In the end it all depends on her and they can't do anything. If she will lose control, that's it. They have just to keep her there, in Firehole.

"Do you think you will regain control over yourself?" Stella turned her head and watched outside, at the calm city.

"I don't know. Maybe, eventually with some help I will. But you have to be careful, Eric. When I will fully lose control, you'll be the first I'll come to." Her eyes traveled back to his stoic ones.

"I know and I will be ready. I've prepared myself for a while." Stella nodded and smiled, hoping that time when she'll fight Eric won't come in the near future.

"Anything else you want to know about little old me?" Eric chuckled and shook his head. "Alright, then." She glanced at the park where Gracie was. At first she was alone, smiling over Stella. The two girls waved to each other smiley. After a big truck drove between the two, Gracie wasn't alone anymore. Behind her was a teenage boy smirking evilly. Stella's smile was erased in a second and turned her head fast. She didn't want the vampire to take a closer look, but it was already too late. When Eric trailed his eyes on the window at whatever Stella saw outside, he didn't see anyone behind Gracie. But he did see Alex with the same surprised face as her.

In just a few moments, Alex got into the shop, a tight grip on Gracie's hand. Stella was still perplexed and scared while Eric stood dumbfounded. When he saw the vampire and the kid walking in, he raised and signed over. Gracie took her place next to Stella while Alex sat next to Eric.

"He saw you." That was the first and worst line. Stella took a deep breath and let it out, slowly. "We have to keep the guard up." He glanced at Eric. The older vampire figured what happened but was speechless.

"He will tell the others. They will come after me."

"No." Eric interrupted. "They won't hurt you right away." Alex glanced between Eric and Stella and nodded.

"True. You're something different. You're Stella Blanche. They won't want you dead…yet. They'll just…want you." Stella raised an eyebrow and looked at Eric.

"What does he mean?" Eric took his hand through his black hair.

"They will stare, even stalk you. They will be in the shadows, they will be your shadows. For a while that's what will happen. After that, they will gain enough courage to come closer. They can be anyone and they start a conversation from anything. They will want to hear your voice, to see what changed and what not. And in the end…" Stella's eyes were wider than ever before. She was completely freaked out.

"In the end…?" Alex took it upon himself to finish the line.

"They will either want you to become what you were or kill you. But don't be afraid about the second choice. It won't happen anyway. Do you really think inferior vampires could even touch a noble? That's in your blood. Even if you lost control or not, you will still have the power." That was a complete different thing for Stella. She sighed in relief.


	34. Chapter 34

**Chapter 34: James' kind of fun**

When Stella arrived home, Alex and Eric behind her, Gracie went upstairs to play while the female population from the house stared at the two boys. Chelsea and Emily gawked at Alex's hotness while Natalie gawked at Eric. They were both staying there proudly. However, Adrian wasn't as pleased as the women to see the two vampires.

"Stella. I told you not to get them in." Eric interrupted the vampire slayer, serious face on.

"We have to talk with you about…the problem." Adrian glanced at the smirking Alex, who waved to Chelsea. Eric rolled his eyes. "Ignore him." Stella nudged Alex and took hold of his hand, dragging the vampire after Adrian and Eric, into the kitchen.

"I'm all ears." Stella sat down on a chair while Alex started searching for blood through the fridge.

"They saw Stella." Eric finally said. Adrian widened his eyes and glanced at Stella. "She's safe for now but I can't guarantee for your family." Adrian nodded.

"What should we do?" Alex closed the fridge and turned all smiley with the bottle of beer in hand.

"Move with us." Adrian gave Alex a sarcastically look. One that says 'no-way-in-hell'.

"Actually, that's a good idea." The three pairs of eyes looked surprised over the vampire slayer.

"It is?" Stella asked, not sure if that plan would work out well.

"It's the only safe idea." Stella raised an eyebrow.

"Safe? Living with four male vampires in the same house sounds safe to you?" He shrugged.  
>"There are pluses too. You get more lovey time with Eric." Adrian gave a sharp glare to the younger vampire. He shrugged and threw the bottle of beer in the trash can.<p>

"I'll call James." Alex looked up to Adrian and smirked.

"James is busy right now. He has a date." Adrian's eyes gave a glint of realization. He forgot about James's date completely. "And I bet he has…" He stopped, his smirk getting bigger. "Fun."

The truth was that, James didn't have much fun. His date was a blonde, nicely curved girl who wouldn't shut up for nothing in the world. At first, James found her attractive and simply delicious but then she started talking. She became talkative and annoying and she wanted attention. James couldn't give it to her anymore.

"I think we should get you home, Aly." He said, how nicely possible. However, the blonde had other plans. From the first time she landed eyes on the skinny, hot vampire she knew what she wanted to happen after the supposed date. It actually went according her plan. Movie, dinner, dance, a couple shots and next was sex. But James wasn't an ordinary man and that's what she didn't add to her plan. The woman smirked and got up, ready to get home and into 'action'.

The whole ride home was full with her voice, rambling about something or another. James was sick and stopped the car, abruptly.

"It's time for a walk." He said, his voice getting a little harsh. The female nodded and smirked, thinking about stupid things, like she had done until then. James grabbed her hand and both started walking deeper into the woods. The moon was already up, the date had started at 7 pm and the wind became harsher. Seeing how his date was cold, the gentleman gave her his jacket. She smiled and thanked, getting closer to him. James eyes traveled over her face, stopping at the wide opened neck. He smirked, smelling the fresh blood. "I want to show you something." He whispered in her ear, his voice getting the woman to tremble.

They didn't walk more. The spot was perfect and out of view. James turned to his date and smirked alluring. He leaned closer to her lips.

"Did you have a good time, Aly?" The woman couldn't say anything anymore. His voice gave her chills. She finally found the power to nod, though. "I know the perfect way we can finish this date." He leaned more, their lips touching. The blonde grabbed the back of his head and he got a tight grip around her hips. The make out session finished after a few more seconds. He trailed sweet kisses to her neck and started sucking on one spot. She moaned and let her head back for more space. What she didn't see coming was how James's canines grew visibly and launched in her flesh. Her eyes opened and tried to get James off but he caught her hands and kept a tight grip on her head. He sucked until he drained the small body. When he finished he threw her like an old sock and cleaned the blood from his face. He also took his jacket and put it back around himself.

"Finally silence." He glanced down at the mess and moved shook her a little with his foot. After that, he simply left, like nothing actually happened.


	35. Chapter 35

**Chapter 35: Moving**

At home, Stella was in her room, packing her stuff. Alex left to tell Nate about the new arrangement. Adrian wasn't too happy about it but he couldn't comment. There wasn't an alternative. Even if he didn't show it, he trusted Eric and, surprisingly, Alex when it came to Stella's safety.

"Calm down, Adrian. She'll be safe with us. Just think about your family. Let the real deal on us." The vampire slayer sighed and sat on the comfortable couch. He left himself fall deeper into it. From Eric's point of view, Adrian looked exactly like a teenager. He acted like one too. It was obvious a man like him was too young still, to have two teenagers. But anyway, it seemed people took it like something normal.

While Adrian and Eric were standing in the living room, thinking over and over again about the present situation, upstairs, Stella was seated on her bed, face in the pillow.

"I'll miss you, bed." She mumbled. That bed was full of memories. She took it everywhere! Every time they moved, the bed was there and now…she had to leave it behind because it would be too dangerous…"But then again…" She got up and stared at it. She smirked when an interesting idea popped up.

"I think you're _kidding_ me." Stella smiled innocently at Alex. The younger vampire stood there, staring straight ahead with a 'wtf' look.

"Please." Stella's green eyes deepened slightly, gleaming with innocence. She could make Alex do whatever she wanted and it wasn't just because she was a vampire. She could catch Alex in a deep trance without even trying and she so knew it. When Alex's blue eyes glanced into Stella's, he became a lost cause. He sighed defeated and walked to the bed. Stella watched smiley, hands behind back, eyes shining evilly. "Thanks Alex. This really means a lot to me." She smiled sweetly when she heard Alex scoff. She rolled her eyes and walked out on the balcony while the vampire took the bed and dragged it downstairs. She put her hands on the railing and watched the scenery. Her eyes trailed everywhere, mostly to the old and tall trees that could've been seen from there. She felt her eyes get red when she found two presences somewhere near the house. She didn't want them to get close to her father's family, even if it would be a great reason for their death. She smirked and closed her eyes, imagining the scene happening.

"Stella?" She opened her eyes and glanced back to Eric's deep blue curious orbs. "What's Alex doing with your bed?" She chuckled slightly and turned her attention back to the outside world.

"He's carrying it to your house. That bed holds too many memories for me to abandon it. It has always been there." Eric nodded even if he didn't really understand her reason. Stella was a complicated teenage girl and overall was a vampire. With her past, it's still a mystery how she cooped up so well with angst and happiness. "When are we leaving? I hate how those two guys stare visibly at me. Like I'm a freaking lifeless statue." She turned to Eric, an annoyed expression on her stoic face. "Do I look like an object?" Eric held up a chuckle and shook his head. She scoffed and went into the house muttering curses under her breath. Eric took her place on the balcony and looked in the distance. The vampires left when they saw their new gossip subject enter the house. He sighed and closed his eyes, enjoying the silence.

"Let me go!" Eric's eyes opened back and rubbed his head. That was going to be a long and tiring day. He just knew it.

Downstairs, the answer for Eric's annoyance was Adrian's family. It seemed Cousin Emily couldn't hold her curiousness back anymore. Of course, in her state, Stella could've blown completely in front of her.

"Where do you go?" Stella rolled her eyes.

"Why would I tell you? It shouldn't bother you." Emily's glare deepened.

"It bothers me. I saw Alex with your bed! You're going to screw him aren't you?" Stella's eyes dropped instantly to the human in a superior glance.

"That's not a tone you can use with me." Emily was furious already. She grabbed Stella's wrist. IT didn't hurt but just the action got the vampire mad. "Take your hand off." Emily didn't listen. She just tightened her grip. Stella's eyes dilated, from the corners getting red. She grabbed Emily's hand, tightly. It hurt her and that made the dangerous vampire smirk in a sadistic way, which kind of scared everyone.

"Let me go!" Eric flashed downstairs to see Stella ready to tear Emily in pieces.

"Stella!" She stopped for a second but didn't take her eyes off her supposed cousin. "Stella…we have to go." Nothing. "Now." She rolled her eyes and let the human go. After a quick glanced around the room she walked out the house, Eric right behind her.


	36. Chapter 36

**Chapter 36: Arche Mansion**

Meanwhile, at Arche's residence, Alex put Stella's bed into one of the rooms. His, more exactly. He almost smiled just at the simple thought that he might sleep in the same room as her. Now that Nate had his own room, Stella could be his new roommate.

"Hello, darling!" Nate said, entering the hall. He looked worn out and couldn't walk properly. However, he did make it to the first door, which was Alex's room. He popped his head around the half closed door and looked around. His eyes landed on the bed he knew all too well. "What's Stella's bed doing here?" The younger vampire didn't say anything, yet, Nate discovered the answer rather quick in his state. "Oh." He raised an eyebrow trying to figure what to do next when he heard the door downstairs open. He felt instantly Stella's mood and it wasn't one to mess with. His eyes widened. "Oh shit." He flashed into the bathroom and closed the door hard, locking it. Alex rolled his eyes and walked downstairs, into the living room where Stella was staring at the new surroundings.

"I remember this place…" Eric nodded. Stella's eyes traveled slowly from the biggest object in the room to the smallest detail. It was indeed a beautiful house. It was old and rusty but the furnishings were in good condition. Stella got out of her memories when she heard the front door open and close with a big bang.

"Stella! My dear Stella!" James came to the two and smiled but it vanished in a second and back on his face was a frown. "What are you doing here?" Stella raised an eyebrow at how fast he changed his mood.

"Vampires are in town and they saw Stella." James didn't take his eyes from hers. "She'll be safe here." James nodded, still staring. "Are you alright, James?" The so called man looked to his nephew and nodded.

"I just had one hell of a date." The three vampires turned their heads when they heard Alex slowly walking down the stairs, chuckling.

"Feisty date? Must've been nice to suck it out, huh?" James shook his head smiling.

"She talked too much. But thankfully, I shut her up." Stella raised an eyebrow at James's remark.

"You killed an innocent human?" James scoffed and went to the kitchen. In this time Alex went to the couch and plopped on it, both hands behind his head. Eric walked upstairs to put everything in place. Stella remained on the same place the whole time, her eyes going from one thing to another. James came back from the kitchen, a glass of fresh blood in his hand, a fresh smirk on his face.

"She wasn't innocent at all. She planned the entire night, thinking she will get some action." He pouted. "She was pretty. But…" He stopped and flashed in front of Stella, an evil smirk on his lips. "Not as pretty as you are." Stella stood there, staring at James' brown eyes. Alex started to chuckle behind the two. He knew Stella too well and was waiting for a smartass comeback or a punch. She did none. A smirk curved her pink lips and her eyes had a mischievous glint. It just appeared out of nowhere. It was clear that the vampire girl will have a few mood swings and also her personality will continuously change.

"James, James, James." She started to walk around him, her eyes getting James in a trance. She was good, oh so good, and she knew it all very well. Her eyes were hypnotizing everyone and they didn't even have to look straight into them. They were transmitting some sort of magic. "You know, you're actually a pretty hot guy…" She flashed behind him and whispered into his year. "Too bad you don't know how to use this as a skill." James flinched and his eyes reddened but that changed in the second she put her hand on his shoulder. He tensed up and shut his mouth. She smirked and flashed to the couch where she plopped down next to a very amused Alex.

"Ouch." James glared at Alex, making the younger vampire laugh. However, when Nate walked downstairs it emitted a different aura than he usually did and Stella raised her head in a second and glared at her brother.

"You've drank." He smiled sheepishly but didn't comment. He didn't have the guts to. "You should've known by now that drinking won't help the thirst." He shrugged. Stella rolled her eyes and opened the TV. When Eric also came downstairs, Stella's phone rang.

_"Stella! I missed you! We haven't talked in ages! How are you, girl?"_ Stella cringed at Tracy's voice. With what was happening, she didn't want to get her friends involved.

"I'm fine. I've been busy lately. Some…" She glanced up to see three pairs of eyes staring at her. James was nowhere in sight. "…problems. What's new?" Tracy sighed.

_"You didn't come to rehearsals and Sami is mad. She was fuming yesterday! I thought she might even send fire on her nose!"_

"What do you want from me?" Tracy scoffed.

_"Don't need to be so direct. Tonight's a party at Fey's. I thought you might want to know. We're all going to be there, the new students inclusive. Oh and I met this- -"_ Stella's eyes stopped trailing around the room and sat on her butt.

"What new students?" Tracy sighed.

_"You haven't been to school today and don't know, of course. There are three new students. One is a girl, she's about 17 years old and she's brunette, curly hair, bright green eyes. But, meh. I'm prettier." Stella rolled her eyes. " The other two are boys. They're pretty hot. One has short brown hair, skinny, blue eyes. The other is shorter than the first. He's pretty hot too. He has brown hair and black eyes. That's weird. But guy number two is much calmer than the first. I think their names are…Liam and Will. You should totally come to the party!"_ Stella's eyes went to Eric's. She hung up and jumped on her feet.

"Two new students, both boys, both have brown hair, one has blue eyes the other black eyes. They arrived today. This is definitely not a coincidence." Eric nodded.

"It's not. They might be vampires." Alex rolled his eyes.

"They are vampires. Can't you feel it? One of them might as well be the one who saw Stella!" The vampire female bent her head down and sighed. She didn't know what to do, it was dangerous. Eric saw how stressed Stella got over the news.

"Calm down. Nothing bad will happen. We'll just have to wait and see what's in store." Alex rolled his eyes and walked closer to the two.

"Or in other words…wait until one of them has the guts to start the war and get us killed." Eric glared at the younger male vampire. Nate scoffed and took Stella's hand.

"Come on. I sense a fight." The female glanced between the two glaring vampires, feeling the intensity between them. She sighed and grabbed her hand back.

"Tonight is a party at Fey's. We should go and relax. The two will be there too. We'll get rid of them if it needed." Everyone nodded and Stella left.


	37. Chapter 37

**Chapter 37: Party Night**

That night was going to be eventful. Alex and Eric were ready while Nate disappeared. James didn't give a shit so he just chose to go and look for dinner.

"Where the hell is she?" Alex wasn't one to wait for somebody, not even Stella. He was growing annoyed each passing moment. Eric glanced at his 'enemy' and quirked up an eyebrow, amused.

"I thought you know her better than anyone. Shouldn't you know she takes longer than you to get ready?" Alex turned his head and glared at the older vampire, annoyed. He was ready to say a smartass comeback but he got interrupted by the beautiful vampire, walking down the stairs. Both boys stared at her. She didn't wear something low cut or a short dress. She just had tight jeans and a black shirt, her hair was straightened and she had a slight petal of make-up. She rolled her eyes and walked between them, to the door, on the way, closing their mouths.

"Let's finish with this." Both boys turned their heads and stared at the vampire beauty getting out the house. Eric was the first to get out of the trance and glanced at Alex. He was getting out from day dreaming too. The younger male nodded and went to take two special sticks.

"She'll hate us if we kill them and don't tell her." Eric rolled his eyes. Alex smirked at his 'enemy''s ignorance. "Does sweet Eric want to keep secrets from his 'long lost love'?" The vampire didn't comment and just walked out, the chuckling Alex right behind.

At the party, people were invading the bar. There were still arriving teenagers and one of them was Nate. He chose to leave earlier so he could inspect the place. However, he didn't find anything to attract his attention.

"Hey. Um…can you help me please?" The vampire turned his beautiful green eyes to the person who touched him. He was shocked of what he saw. There she was…

"An angel…" He whispered. The girl furrowed her eyebrows together and frowned.

"What?" Nate got out of his thoughts and shook his head. However, the staring didn't stop. "Um…is there something wrong?" Again, the vampire shook his head and focused.

"N-No. Everything's fine. I was just…" He didn't know what to invent. Thankfully, the girl smiled.

"Getting lost in your own thoughts?" He nodded, speechless. She chuckled under her breath and stuck her hand out. "It happens to me too. I'm Dana, by the way." His eyes trailed from her beautiful green eyes to her bright, white smile and down to her smooth, tiny body and in the end, to her hand. Her curls were dancing while she started laughing slightly. "I don't bite." Nate's mood changed in a second and smirked.

"But I do." She raised an eyebrow while shaking hands. "Do you want a drink?" Her big green eyes shined, a secret lying behind them.

"Sure. Just show me the way." Nate's smirk grew and led her to the bar.

When Stella got out the car, she was stressed. She didn't know how to act; she didn't know what will happen or what she will see. How will she recognize the two vampires?

"Relax." Eric patted her back and slowly led the vampire female inside. In the moment she put her foot on the floor she got hit with a huge wave of music. She took a deep breath and let herself be controlled by the natural vampiric senses.

"Let's get this party started." Alex smirked and grabbed Stella by the waist, leading her to the dance floor.

The time flew and hours did too. Stella got bored of just dancing with Eric and Alex, and she was sick of Sami's glares so she walked to the bar, ready for a drink…or more. She tensed when someone stopped her from talking and ordered in her place.

"Four double tequilas." The stranger sat next to her and smirked. "We can't let a beautiful lady like her pay for herself." Stella's green eyes turned to meet a pair of blue orbs.

"And who might you be?" He smirked and put a hand on hers.

"Liam Melon. Enchanter" He grabbed her hand and kissed it. She narrowed her eyes at the new acquaintance.

"You're one of the new kids?" He nodded his head, that stupid smirk never leaving his face.

"It's an honor to finally meet you…" He stopped got closer to her face, crossing the personal comfort line. "Stella Blanche." Her eyes became red in an instant while his just darkened. As simple as he arrived, he left, leaving an annoyed Stella behind.


	38. Chapter 38

**Chapter 38: Matthew Gregory**

Meanwhile, Nate was pretty much enjoying his time. The new girl, Dana, was disturbing his sanity. She was pretty, even beautiful, interesting and captivated his attention. That never happened before. He even…smiled sincerely.

"So, what do you think about the welcoming team?" Dana raised an eyebrow while Nate simply waited for an answer.

"I like it." She smirked. "It makes me feel good, paid for my drink, danced with me, it's quite entertaining." Nate chuckled.

"Good. How did you end up in such a city?" Dana didn't really know what to say so she simply seemed amused by his questions. She certainly was amused by his behavior too and that was a mistake he will pay for later.

"Mom. Her work needs us to move from city to city. I'm just the unfortunate soul that has to sink everything in. She doesn't really care about my opinions so I just shut up." She took a long sip of her drink, making Nate's eyes furrow slightly.

"I know how that is. I've been through it." Dana raised an eyebrow and let the glass down.

"Really. Did you jump from one estate to the other? Left your home country for this shit?" Nate nodded, speechless. "What did you do?" He chuckled and shook his head.

"My father is a doctor. We always had to move. We ended up here and that's it." The girl nodded. She had to sink everything in; that was her job, that's why she was there in the first place.

"Are you alone?" Nate quirked an eyebrow up. He couldn't say he was taken aback by the question but he definitely wasn't stupid.

"I am single if that's what you mean. But i don't need a girl as long as i have my sister." Dana quirked an eyebrow up.

"You have a sister?" Nate chuckled. That was getting easier.

"Yes. I bet you know her. She's quite popular _everywhere._" Dana looked slightly bothered. "Any more questions?" She smiled, trying to get back in a happy mood.

Anyway, that wasn't the only problem. Stella was a magnet for troubles and dangerous situations. Like the one she was in, in that moment. She wanted to get fresh air and got out the bar. She closed her eyes when she finally found a place to calm down. It was in the back and no one could see what was happening there. She opened her eyes, her deep red eyes, when she felt danger.

"I hope you don't think I'll just sit around enjoying the stalking." She heard one male laugh.

"It's not about your wishes. Not anymore. It's about us and what we want." She straightened her posture, her head held high, proudly.

"And what do you want?" The two male presences walked out the shadow, smirking.

"We want you, Stella. One of the only noble families. One of the oldest vampires and a pretty devil undercover." Her eyes furrowed into a glare.

"I am not a weapon." One of the male vampires chuckled slightly.

"Not yet. You just need…a small nudge." Stella flashed in front of the one who talked and raised him by his neck. "IF we don't do it, someone else will. You will either die or help us."

"Help you with what?" She asked through her greeted teeth. The other male vampire came behind her. It was Liam.

"Let him go, princess. We can't harm you and we know it. Vampires like you are hard to tame." She glared at the blue eyed vampire. "We need you and you need us. But first, we need the real Stella alive. We need her rage, her desire for revenge." She let the other vampire go and flashed in front of Liam.

"Revenge on who?" His cold eyes stared into hers.

"Matthew Gregory." Her eyes widened and backed off. Liam smirked. "Are you afraid, Stella? Are you afraid…" He flashed behind her and whispered into her ear. "…of your uncle?"

"What uncle?" Liam smirked and signed for the other male to leave. He did, leaving the two much dangerous vampires alone in the back of a bar full of humans.

"Aww. And here I was, thinking you already figured your family out." He fakery pouted. "Do you really think you only had your parents? Aaron Gregory is a legend and you became one too. Like father, like daughter." He chuckled slightly and put a hand on her back, making her flinch. Her eyes were watching every move and inside she could feel herself struggling to keep her mind blank. "On the other side…" He started and trailed his hand to her waist. She didn't move, though. She stood there like a statue. "Matthew was…how can I put it…a badass. He loved to play, he loved women." He stopped and used his free hand to touch her check softly. "He never ceased to amaze the elders. He never cared about your father…until you were born. Surprisingly, took a liking to you." He trailed his eyes over her and smirked. He pulled Stella into him by her waist and leaned in to her ear. "He had a soft spot for you. He knew you have the power and you couldn't control it. But you did learn pretty fast how it works." She rolled her eyes and turned to face him, taking his hand off.

"Why should I believe what you say?" He chuckled and raised an eyebrow.

"Why don't you ask your little friend, Alex? He knows your uncle rather well. He was his…'student'" He finished, pointing the quote signs. Stella's eyes furrowed, though. She wasn't happy with the answer.

"Why do you want revenge on him?" Liam's eyes changed fast in red and growled.

"He killed my sister. Anyone who got near him, suffered. He thinks vampire females are just like human females. Unworthy., small miseries that need to be cleaned. But not you. You're the exception. You are the only female he ever respected, except Beatrice." Stella rolled her eyes, again.

"Don't tell me. He loved her too." Liam didn't say anything until he started laughing. Stella simply glared at him.

"Love? No way in hell. He liked how feisty she was, indeed, but definitely not love. He doesn't know where you are but he knows you are alive. He knows about Nate and Eric, about Adrian and James, about everything. Do you think he would forget about his adored, dear niece? No."

"And why do you tell me all these?" He rolled his eyes annoyingly.

"Didn't I already tell you?" She scoffed and turned to leave. However, Liam got a tight grip on her wrist. "Think about it. If you help us, we will leave you alone." Stella didn't comment and just shrugged his hand off and left.


	39. Chapter 39

**Chapter 39: From Powerful Vampire To Powerful Vampire**

Stella didn't care anymore about the stupid party. All she wanted to do was going somewhere peaceful where she could think. She went to the only place she ever felt at peace: the Firehole forest. It was night, dark, cold, and silent, like a scene from a horror movie. She didn't walk much until she chose to stop and lay down. She closed her eyes and leaned on a tree.

"What am I going to do?" She mumbled not really awaiting for an answer. But there was someone else in the forest too except the vampire female. She opened her eyes to stare into big brown eyes. "I thought you went out to eat?" James shrugged and laid down, next to her.

"What's on your mind?" She stared in front in the distance, expecting something to happen, someone to come and say the nightmare was over and that she could open her eyes and everything would be alright and normal.

"When I first found out I am a vampire I never imagined it will be so…" James raised an eyebrow, amused.

"Hard?" She shook her head.

"Tiring. There are so many questions and when I finally find the answers…I realize I know nothing." She bent her head down and stared at her fidgeting hands. "Not even my life." James glanced at the noble from the corner of the eye.

"Your life…huh. Some things are better unknown." She sighed and looked at him.

"Who's Matthew Gregory?" James's head quirked up in a second and stared at her with slightly wide eyes. "So it's true." She trailed, getting up. The older vampire watched the girl as she started pacing around. "He exists." She glanced at him and stopped. "My uncle." James didn't know what to say. He never met the younger Gregory. That family has always lived mysteriously, in the darkness of the night. Aaron was the only one who had the guts to marry, to have children with a human and then transform all of them.

"Your family has always been a mystery. There are stories about your father, good ones, and then…there is Matt. The younger Gregory brother, the rebel." He got up too and chuckled. "Aaron was indeed a vampire, with everything a vampire is…but Matt is another story." He grinned to Stella and flashed away.

"Great." She mumbled rolling her eyes.

Back in the bar, Nate was still talking with Dana, surprisingly. The girl stopped asking weird questions for her own good and simply started to talk about normal, teenage topics. That, until Eric realized there is no Stella anymore.

"Nate!" The noble brother turned his head when he heard his name being called. "Have you seen Stella?" He shook his head and trailed his eyes to a troubled Dana. The other vampire sighed worriedly and trailed his eyes over his surroundings, hoping to catch a glimpse of the female. She wasn't there.

"Hey!" Alex came slowly, a girl at his hand, a drink on the other. "Why so troubled?" Eric gave Alex a stern look, making the younger vampire rolls his eyes. "Well?" He asked Nate, knowing Eric enough to figure he just started to hyperventilate.

"He can't find Stella and he freaks out." Alex rolled his eyes.

"It's not like she went on a killing spree." Eric and Nate shut up, their eyes widening. Dana looked between the three vampires and slowly ditched her date. Alex stared at the other two vampires in front of him and in the next second, all three of them were running out the bar, each going where they thought she may be.


	40. Chapter 40

**Chapter 40: Dear diary: I lost control**

Meanwhile, Stella was rather relaxed in the same place James left her. She closed her eyes and, unconsciously, smelled blood. She furrowed her eyebrows and cracked her knuckles. The smell was getting closer rather fast. The human was running. She stood there like a statue until the human bumped into her from behind. It was a young teenage girl. Stella could smell the quantity of adrenaline the girl had. She was scared shitless of , someone was searching for the teenager from what the vampire could hear.

"I…I'm s-sorry." The girl looked up at the vampire, who was struggling to keep control. The human looked down at her bloody ankle and the bruises on her arms. Stella could smell them. She knew she couldn't stop anymore. She needed it more than ever.

"Found you!" The girl turned scared to the man behind both females. He looked tired, maybe from running, but at the same time he had an insane expression. His face had bruises, most likely from the girl who tried to defend herself. He started to yell something at her but Stella's ears could listen just to their beating hearts.

"Help me." The girl whined to the older female. Stella didn't even move. The man snickered.

"Well, well, well. Two birds at once. This is going to be interesting." The smaller girl started to cry and grabbed Stella's hand tightly. The man grabbed the teenager from her wrist and began pulling her into him. Stella grabbed the hand the girl had a grip on and pushed the man away. He glared at her and pushed her, hard. Stella didn't see that coming and stumbled back. That was it. Someone dared to push her, had the intention to hurt her. She opened her eyes, red eyes, and gave the man a stern, superior look. The glare the man had intensified. "Wench…" He mumbled, taking the scared girl.

"This isn't your lucky day." In one flash the man was on the floor, dead, bloodsucker over him, canines deep into his flesh. The younger girl screamed as loud as her lungs let her. The vampire raised her head and looked at the teenager, smirking. "You have five seconds to save yourself." The girl's eyes widened. Stella's eyes widened a little and slightly smiled. "Run." And that's what she's done.

The girl was already a few meters away but the feeling that she was watched just intensified.

"1…" The voice was coming from afar. "2…" The girl was running, not having a clue where."3…" The voice was coming closer and closer. "4.* She whispered it right into her ear. *5…" She whispered moving her head into one side. "Time's over." The girl's eyes widened even more and yelled while Stella stuck her teeth into her neck.

Meanwhile, Nate and Alex went back to the Arche mansion, tired and annoyed. Not a good combination.

"She was nowhere! Not even at your house." Alex mumbled, jumping on the couch. Nate looked down at the younger vampire and scoffed.

"You alarmed my father for nothing." Alex shrugged. "And scared the women." Alex shrugged again and smiled innocently at the older vampire.

"Don't say it like you didn't enjoy it. I was so close to kill them. So close." He said pointing out with his fingers. Nate rolled his eyes but couldn't help but smile. The two got interrupted by the door opening. In entered Stella, her face cleaned up.

"Hey, Stel!" She stopped and slowly turned her head to her brother. She stood there thinking what she should do until she chose to go over them.

"Where have you been?" Alex asked getting up and to her. She looked at him, intently. Out of nowhere, Alex looked quite different in Stella's view. He was hotter, changed, simply different. Nate watched Stella uncertain. Something was different about her too. He felt…weird. His eyes trailed over her figure until he met her eyes. His eyes widened. She was checking Alex out. Also, when he looked closer, she had blood on her lips. He glared daggers at her and pushed her hard into the wall. Alex looked surprised at his companion. "What the hell?" He flashed in front of Stella and looked back at Nate.

"I never thought I'll see the day you, out of everyone, will hurt me, Nate." Stella's words didn't make the older brother flinch or be sorry. He flashed in front of Alex and pushed him aside, taking Stella by her neck.

"I'm not stupid, Stella. I know you better than anyone. Did you actually think I won't see you've changed? Stella Monroe doesn't exist anymore. The true Stella broke free. The Devil broke from its cage." Alex's eyes widened as much as they could. He looked at the older vampire female. She simply smirked and pushed her brother away, hard.

"You can't even imagine how good it is to be back. Freedom has never tasted so good." Nate glared at his sister but couldn't get up. She hit him pretty hard. She glanced at Alex and smirked. "Aren't you happy to see me, Alexander?" She flashed in front of him. She trailed her finger down his face and to his lips. "Aren't you happy to see the girl you've fell in love with?" He looked down at her with a stoic face.

"The girl I've fell in love with…" He bent down, closer to her lips. "…died long time ago." She glared at him and punched him hard, throwing him next to Nate.

"You all were so afraid I will come back to life. But you never realized you were keeping me in a cage. You wanted just what's good for you."She glared at nothing specifically."Have you ever thought what's good for me too? What do I want?" There was a pause. "No." She flashed in front of them and bent down to their level. "Now it's the time I make the rules. The first one is quite easy to understand." She glared down at the two vampires, her eyes red and fangs out, that superior feeling flowing down over them. "Don't mess with me." She flashed out of there and God knows where she went.


	41. Chapter 41

**Chapter 41: The Curse**

There went just a few hours until Nate and Alex met with James and Adrian to talk about the…new situation.

"I can't believe you!" Adrian glared at both vampires. He was more than furious. James looked pretty calm, sitting on the chair with a bottle of blood in hand, glancing between the two younger and quite guilty vampires and the slayer.

"Actually, I can't believe this happened either." The three males turned their eyes on the much older and powerful vampire, who got off the chair and looked rather interested in the details of his bottle. "Earlier today she asked me about Matt." Alex's eyebrow quirked up instantly. However, Nate and Adrian didn't have a clue about the so called person.

"Matt?" Adrian finally asked. Alex's head bent down and on one side, not very happy. He was ashamed of something. James watched him from the corner of his eye while Nate was visibly staring.

"Oh. You don't know about him either. What a pity." Nate glared at James, making the older male smirk. His change of mood annoyed everyone there. However, Alex was a little curious how James would keep his cool in front of Stella. The last time, it went pretty good. He didn't even move. But that wasn't the original. That was just a small part of what Stella Blanche was. And Stella Blanche was the Devil.

"Alex…" James started again after a long pause. "Why don't you inform our dear friends about your old teacher?" Nate's head turned to Alex in a flash. The poor man didn't know what to do anymore so he did the only thing he thought he should've from the start.

"I lied, which is something normal in the vampire world." He smirked, trying to loosen up, but the atmosphere was too tense. "After Stella supposedly died and you disappeared with her" He said looking to Nate."…I didn't know what to do. She transformed me without a purpose. I was supposed to be just a memory but she wanted me to live forever. Always be her friend, her companion, a replacement." He glared down at his shoes, something disturbing crossing his mind. "I've always been a replacement for Eric. I tried to think otherwise but I couldn't. That was the truth." He chuckled darkly but it could've been heard a small glimpse of sadness. "I was her plan B." Nate closed his eyes and sighed.

"Get to the subject already." He was growing impatient. He just wanted to hear who the hell that Matt man was and go search for Stella. Or maybe just go upstairs and sleep. He was damn tired.

"Patience is a virtue…" Nate and Adrian glared at him and were almost ready to punch him. "Alright, alright. I will take this seriously. Matt Gregory had a brother…Aaron. He married this girl from Paris, Beatrice. They had two children, who Aaron turned into vampires. Now…put the two together and let's see the result." James rolled his eyes but let himself smirk at Alex's personality.

"What's happening here?" The four men looked to the entrance and saw Eric, curious and worried, coming in.

"Listening to life stories." Nate mumbled rolling his eyes clearly annoyed. Adrian wasn't far and James was enjoying a lot the annoyance Alex, most definitely, radiated. Eric got curious and went closer. "Well?" Nate asked Alex. "Aren't you going to continue?"

"Matt was Aaron's brother. Who's Aaron?" Eric raised an eyebrow.

"Aaron Blanche. Stella and Nate's father. Anything else?" Nate and Adrian's eyes widened.

"He's…he's…my **uncle**?" Eric's eyes widened too and glance at his own uncle. James just kept a stoic face the entire time.  
>"What did you tell Stella?" Alex asked James. He shrugged.<p>

"Exactly the same. " Alex's glare deepened."And that Matt was the rebellious brother." Alex rolled his eyes and found himself glared at by Eric and Nate.

"I didn't have a purpose in life after she faded away. I was walking through Europe when he found me…."

_It was dark and the cigarettes' smoke was intoxicating but the people in the bar didn't care. Alex was at the bar, drinking his tenth shot of tequila. The bartender was a curved and pretty girl who was continuously glancing at him or giving him worried looks._

_"Can I have another one?" She looked at him perplexed but poured him another one. He drank it up in a second._

_"Are you alright? How many fingers do I have raised?" He looked up at her and chuckled._

_"I'm sober. I don't get drunk so fast." She nodded slowly, not really believing him. "But you have three fingers raised, for you information." She rolled her eyes and smiled, going to another customer. Alex sighed and closed his eyes._

_"You let her go away so easily? I'm disappointed." Alex opened his eyes and turned his eyes on the left._

_"I'm not interested in a one night stand." The newcomer chuckled._

_"Caught in an old relationship?" Alex rolled his eyes and called the bartender again. She smiled at him and at the new customer. Both men gave their own orders and turned back to talking with each other._

_"More like a one side relationship." The man chuckled again and drank up his alcohol._

_"What was so special about her?" Alex looked back at the man, his eyes holding a superior gaze, most likely from being around Stella so much._

_"Deep green eyes that sparkled every time she would smile or glint mischievously into the dark, her innocent personality yet she could've killed anyone in one swift motion, her bright shining smile and so on and on." The man started to laugh and patted him on the back._

_"Lovesick, huh?" He got closer to Alex and let his eyes redden. "Vampires don't have feelings, Alexander." The younger vampire widened his eyes. "I can teach you the true meanings of the vampire world. You just have to say one small word." Alex looked rather shocked to the other vampire. "Do we have a deal?"_

_"What do you get from teaching me how to be a…vampire? I've fell in love with one, my best friend was one, her brother was one and her…boyfriend was also a vampire." The still unnamed vampire smirked._

_"Stella Blanche is one intriguing creature, isn't she?" Alex widened his eyes again. "Matthew Gregory. Her uncle." Alex's mouth hang open, completely speechless. "Let me tell you this. Never trust a female, mostly when she's actually a vampire. But…" He paused for a second, time his smirk got bigger. "Stella is a rarity. She was born to be somebody. Maybe not for humans, but definitely for night creatures. She holds the curse and just she can control it. I can teach you and you can help her." Alex looked quite shocked and at the same time, relived to meet him._

_"Yes. My answer is yes." Matt smirked, knowing exactly how much fun he will have and what a vampire he will make from Alex. _

"And that's how I met him and how everything begun. The end." Alex bowed while Eric and Nate, who meanwhile sat down, stood there reflecting over the information.

"A…curse? What do you mean with curse? Wait…that's how you learned so many things about our family!" Alex nodded while Nate's eyes reddened. He wanted to punch Alex so, so bad.

"Tell us about the curse." Adrian ordered, his hands crossed over his chest, his face expressionless.

"Why ask him when you can ask me?" Everyone turned their heads to see Stella.

"It seems this house turned into a HQ." James mumbled rolling his eyes. Stella trailed her bloody eyes over everyone in the room. However, they stopped when she met Eric's face. She smirked sadistically and walked slowly to him.

"Eric…nice to see you so troubled. You can't even imagine how delighted I am when you're hurt." She whispered the last part into his ear. Her eyes trailed to Alex and went and kissed him. Poor vampire didn't even know how to react. She stopped before he could. She licked her lips and walked past Eric, feeling their eyes staring into the depts. of her soul. That was just the beginning. "The real story has just begun." She mumbled loud enough for them to hear while she ascended the stairs.

"The curse is Stella herself." Alex mumbled, his eyes staring at the place the girl has just walked out of.


	42. Chapter 42

**Chapter 42: In the Darkness**

It was night, darkness filled the house and the tense atmosphere could've been cut with a knife. It was silence and the only small light was coming from downstairs, from the living room where Eric stand on the floor, looking at the burning fire from the fireplace. His eyes were trailing every detail of it, trying to get his mind off Stella and the news he got from the boys. He couldn't believe she transformed, she lost it and she…became what she's been once.

"She will kill me." He whispered closing his eyes and laid back on the floor.

"She won't." Eric opened his eyes and looked up to see Nate walking in and pouring himself a glass of blood.

"She hates me. I've left her for her human sister and let myself fall on Rebecca's charm." Nate rolled his eyes and smirked.

"That's true. You're just an idiot." Eric glared up at Stella's brother. "Don't forget I am her _older_ brother. I know better, what I say is better, I am better. Maybe I'm calmer and I don't seem like a dangerous vampire. But I am." Eric roller his eyes and closed his eyes back after hearing Nate's footsteps walking up the stairs.

There passed just a few minutes when he felt a breeze.

"Do you want another drink, Nate?" He asked amused but he didn't get a response so he opened his eyes. He was surprised to meet Stella's eyes. "Are you here to annoy me?" He asked, every word full of venom. The girl only smirked.

"No. I actually wanted a drink. The bars are full of humans and I do know there are vampires who want my _help_." Eric got on his butt and looked at his once upon a time fiancée. "I know everything that happened, Eric. I'm not sick, I just remember everything. From the beginning, where you broke my heart and when I moved back to Firehole with Nate and Adrian." He couldn't get his eyes off her. She looked the same but she was so different. She was shining in a strange light.

"I thought you hate me." She scoffed while getting herself a glass of blood.

"I do." She said turning fully to him. "And I do want to kill you. But first I'm going to provoke a massacre." She smiled wickedly and flashed out the door. Eric got up and flashed upstairs into Nate's room.

"She's up to something." But there was no Nate.

Meanwhile, Stella was on her own, walking purposeless through the city. It was a nice night. She looked up at the moon to see it was full and shining brightly. She smirked and knew exactly where to go.

Her feet stopped when she arrived in front a huge house. She tried to look as normal as possible and jumped on the roof. There she got on her stomach and let herself trail down in air, to a window. She looked in to see darkness and a fast beating heart. She smirked again sadistically and opened the window. She waited on the roof until she heard no beating heart inside the room anymore. She flashed to the nearest bar and entered, looking as slutty as possible. Once she opened the door every eye turned to her. She felt two vampires in and smirked. She went directly to the bar and ordered a bottle of tequila. The bartender looked taken back by her request. Stella rolled her eyes and gave him one of her stern looks.

"Hello, Cherie." She didn't have to turn her head to see him because she already knew Liam was there, curious what she would answer. If she even had an answer…

"Liam…" She started but stopped to drink down half of the bottle. The bartender was amazed at the tiny girl. "I bet you're here for an answer." The vampire nodded even if she couldn't see it.

"Yes. That's what I had in mind. But I can wait." He didn't even see the change in her behavior or the radiating superior feeling she threw everyone.

"Then I guess the wait is over." She turned and smiled flirty at him. She walked out, the bottle in one hand, the other dragging Liam. They walked for a while, the other vampire in the shadows, watching them. She smirked. Everything was going according to the plan.

"So…" He turned to face her but she stopped him with a kiss. He gave in, obviously. When she backed down she could hear steps running fast in their way. She backed off more and jumped on a tree. Liam looked curious and amused at the vampire. She smirked and titled her head onto one side as an innocent kid.

"Bye bye, Liam. I would say it was nice to meet you…" She paused and pouted. "But I would lie." The pout changed in a stoic face when a werewolf came crushing on Liam. He tried to fight it but the wolf was powerful. He bitted the vampire and killed him, ravishing his body into pieces. When the werewolf left and when the zone was safe enough, Stella jumped back down. She glanced at Liam's head, which was bloody and still had the eyes opened. She turned her eyes back in front and flashed to the vampire from the shadows. She forgot what his name was and she didn't really care in that moment. He tried to run but she was too fast. She caught him and threw him into a tree. Her nails were gripping his neck tightly and for once, the vampire felt as he was living a nightmare. She smirked sadistically again and glared at him.

"I am not going to betray my family for someone like you. Scum that fill the world with impure blood. There are just a few nobles. Matt is one of the few members of family I have. He will get killed just when _I_ say so." She glared for the last time at the poor vampire and in a flash, grabbed his heart out. She threw the body away as it was garbage and even walked over it, no remorse behind. She glanced at the moon for the last time and saw it shining as proudly as before. She smirked. The night didn't finish yet.


	43. Chapter 43

**Chapter 43: I will be the One to Kill Her**

The next morning, Adrian woke up, his head hurting like hell. He grabbed his hot cup of coffee and turned on the TV. Thankfully, the women he held into his house will leave already. They seemed to like it too much there now that Nate and Stella were busy with…Stella. While he was channel surfing he found something rather interesting yet disturbing.

"This morning the authorities found out a big pile of burned bodies. The corpses haven't been indentified yet. There also have been found in the forest bodies that seemed to be ravished by animals. The police think that a group of wolves came into Firehole's forest and are responsible for these attacks. If we get more information we will –" Adrian turned off the TV and leaned back into the softness of the couch, eyes closed.

"Why am I not surprised of this." He whined and when the world seemed better, as in he took a sip of his coffee and tried to ignore the newspaper, which was full with images, someone knocked on the door. He sighed, put the cup down and walked groggily to open the door. He was perplexed when the newspaper got thrown into his face, theoretically.

"Do you see this, Adrian? I am not going to let this continue anymore. I thought you have them under control!" He pushed the door opened more and let the furious woman enter in.

"Billie. What a surprise." He mumbled rolling his eyes. "I thought you forgot about me after those few dates." She rolled her eyes and crossed her hands in front her chest.

"You knew from the beginning I am a vampire slayer. Why didn't you inform me about your children?" Adrian smiled innocently and shrugged. "Ok. How did you know I am what I am?" He chuckled and sat back on the couch, signing for her to do the same. "Do you really think I will sit down while there are vampires killing other vampires?" Adrian nodded. She sighed and obeyed.

"Vampire slayers have something different. You look at them and immediately realize there's something mysteriously going on. My parents have been slayers, my master taught me too well not to recognize one. But…" He smiled and crossed his legs under him. "I figured you're one when I saw the gun in your dress at our first date." She looked shocked at him, mouth opened and everything. "I know you're here for the vampires but as you see, they've been taken care of." Billie looked incredulously at the man in front. He had the mind of a teenager in her view. And he acted like one too.

"There was a massacre. There are going to be more when they'll find out about this one. Vampires are coming to Firehole for different reasons. I-" Adrian stopped Billie by chuckling.

"You're wrong. There is just one reason with more options." She rolled her eyes.

"Do you believe Stella did this?" Adrian broke out into a mad laughter.

"Of course she did! Who else would kill other vampires out of nowhere? They wanted something from her and she killed them all."

"What about the ravished bodies?" Adrian shrugged. He was curious about that too. He had a slight idea of who did that but Stella had a link to it too. "Do you think it was actually a werewolf?" Adrian glanced at the clock to see it was past ten. He got up and when he was got to the stairs he stopped for a moment and glanced back at the curious woman from the corner of the eye.

"I believe anything is possible." He walked upstairs, letting Billie sit uncomfortable on the couch, staring at the newspaper.

Meanwhile, Stella wasn't at the Arche mansion, obviously. Eric and Alex were pacing in the living room while James and Nate were calmingly drinking blood like there was no tomorrow. They were all so stressed that it hurt.

"What the hell was in her mind? She used Austin to kill some vampires and the others…she killed them herself!" Eric was calmer than Alex. It seemed he knew he will be the next target after she will finish off the others.

"There's one thing I don't understand, though." James started, contemplating in his seat. "Why does she want to kill the vampires here?" Nate looked at Eric and he looked at Alex. The younger vampire sighed and grabbed a hand through his hair.

"Matt is Stella's uncle. He thinks low and less dangerous vampires are useless. Also, he thinks female vampires are as stupid as human females. It seems Stella inherited his sadism." Eric stared into space for a while until he turned his eyes on Alex.

"If Matt doesn't like female vampires…why does he like Stella?" Alex bent his head down and looked interested at the carped on the floor.

"Because…Stella is family and he respects his family. A hell lot. Another reason is the curse. Once in a while, as in a few hundred years, a female or male vampire from the Gregory bloodline goes berserk. I don't know why and he didn't give me details. He just said it's not important for now...well, then. I think if he would've wanted to help or kill Stella…he would've done it already. He taught me everything I have to know so I can be her…kind of bodyguard." Eric looked intently at Alex.

"Why you?" Nate asked in Eric's place. Alex sighed deeply and looked quite annoyed.

"Because he knew I fell in love with Stella at first sight. But…vampires can't love. They choose to replace those feelings with hate, angst, annoyance, even sadness. I didn't want to be changed. That was Stella's wish. A selfish wish." He trailed smirking. He just realized the old, old Stella was a true vampire in the depth of her heart. She just needed a nudge but it seemed that Eric gave Stella a bigger one than it was supposed to.

"Now what?" Alex sighed and shrugged. He didn't have the slightest idea. Eric didn't say a word the whole time. He was deep in his own mind.

"Now all we can do is wait. If she doesn't stop, we'll have to do it." Alex's head quirked up in a second at Eric's harsh words.

"What? Are you insinuating what I am thinking?" He nodded.

"From killing vampires she can go on humans killing rampage. I don't want to transform this city in a battlefield." Nate looked up at Eric too, annoyed.

"What about school? We haven't been in a few days." Alex rolled his eyes.

"Who cares about school when a dangerous vampire is free?" James shut Alex up in the second he glared at him.

"Go to school, act as normal as possible and talk with Austin. I'm sure he got left out of his room by Stella. He will help as long as there's no full moon. Next…" He took a pause for dramatic effect. "We'll have to kill or be killed." Nate glared at the three vampires and stormed off, God knows where.

"I won't be the one to kill Stella." Alex's voice was cold and hateful. Eric didn't even look at them. He turned his head and felt his knuckles get white.

"Of course not. I will be the one to kill her if I need to." James's head bent down, a small smirk on it. These boys were something different. They were fun. He was happy Stella finally started to enjoy her freedom because it won't take long until one of them will die for her and that, he knew better than anyone, will destroy her.


	44. Chapter 44

**Chapter 44: Back to School**

The next day everyone came to the common decision that they needed to go to school. Nate didn't seem happy with that idea, mostly because Alex had to enroll too for some reason. Eric was in the driver seat, his emotions bottled up, his face, expressionless. Nate was in the back seat, alone, glaring at the not very comfortable Alex.

"I don't like school. Never did, never will." Eric rolled his eyes while Nate kept the glare."I don't like how James got control over the situation." The younger vampire added.

"He seems fairly happy to have the old Stella back." Eric mumbled, as confused as the rest of them.

"Where is Stella anyway?" Alex asked, looking into the review mirror. Nate's glare disappeared and turned his head to watch the scenery outside.

"Maybe looking for vampire slaves." Eric mumbled getting two pair of glares.

"You know what…I'm out of here. You, you and your pessimism drive me crazy! Look at you! You're fucking unbelievable! I thought you liked her, you might even developed some deeper feelings for her but damn! Even I am not such a heartless bastard!" Alex yelled, glaring daggers with his red eyes. N ate looked between the two tensed vampires. Actually, just Alex was ready to blow up. Eric was very calm. Maybe too calm for what have started.

"I did have feelings for her. But you were the one who said it, Alex. Vampires don't have feelings, they aren't supposed to care." Eric stopped in front of the school and parked the car then he finally turned his head to look at an awaiting Alex. "Why should I cross the line? Why should I break the rules? Tell me, Alex. Why should I care about Stella?" Both vampires were quiet. You couldn't hear anything.

"I…" Alex was speechless. However, the answer came from the other noble, whose eyes were dark and cold, not red yet, but those green orbs were intimidating.

"Because you opened the gates of Hell." Eric's head bent down while Alex and Nate got out. Alex looked at Nate intensely.

"You remember everything too, don't you?" Nate shook his head. Anyone could've seen he was disappointed about something.

"That's the bad part. I don't." He walked past Alex without another word. Inside the car, Eric became the speechless one, mostly because he knew how true Nate's words were and it hurt. It hurt deep and there were scars that never actually closed.

At school, hours went quite well. The surprising part was Stella. She was at school, acting as she normally would and no one seemed to disturb her. Not even the glaring, still mad human. It was lunch when Stella sat with her supposedly friends. There were no Eric, no Alex and no Nate. She was sure they were somewhere else, planning her death.

"You haven't been to school for almost a month!" She shrugged. She didn't care enough about learning something now that she knew so much.

"I didn't feel good enough to come here. It's a waste of time anyway." She mumbled the last part but Sam heard it. "What happened while I was home?" Stacy shrugged. Out of everyone, Stacy was the one who acted normal. Austin was silent, Sam was furious, Roy was furious too about something Stella found unimportant.

"Nothing much, really. The new students left, except that Dana girl." Stella raised an eyebrow, remembering the green eyed teenager.

"Dana…Nate was interested in her a few days ago." Stacy shrugged again until she looked suspiciously at Stella.

"Wait a minute. You did come at that party a few days ago. I've seen you." Sami smirked up at Stella which made the vampire want to strangle her. Austin didn't look comfortable at all and put a hand on Stella's leg. Surprisingly, it did calm her down a little bit. However, luckily for everyone, Alex entered the lunchroom, making every head turn to him. He smirked for a few seconds. Until he met Stella's eyes, which were tingling with mischievousness. The smirk changed into a frown and walked away without a second glance. Stella smirked, knowing how much that small smirk turned Alex upside down.

"That guy is too hot for his good." She heard Tracy mumbling and furrowed her eyebrows.

"I thought he's older than us?" Roy asked the humans. Austin shrugged.

"I heard he didn't finish high school and that's why he came back." Sami mumbled, not very interested. Tracy smirked and started to apply more make up. Stella raised an eyebrow, curious.

"I'm gonna take my chance. He stands alone in the corner so it won't be that hard." Stella almost scoffed. Tracy walked flirty to the younger vampire, fact that made him smirk amused. He got it as a game and he wanted to play it. At least it was taking his mind off of someone. Stella didn't feel good when she saw how Tracy got closer and closer to him and how he seemed to enjoy her presence. She narrowed her eyes at the human. Alex was HER propriety and she won't allow it to be different.


	45. Chapter 45

**Chapter 45: Stella's**

Both Sami and Austin glanced between Alex's table and Stella. Austin knew very well why she was acting that way. He figured who opened the window from his room while it was full moon. He could restrain himself as long as the place he was in didn't have an opening to the world. Stella let him free and he realized he killed some of the vampires that were in town. Sami was clueless about what her 'friends' were. She just didn't like Stella anymore because she started to act all mighty and she was getting popular at school without even being there. All Stella would do was be somewhere else with her brother, Alex or Eric. Plus, she heard Stella moved into the Arche mansion, which meant she was living in the same house with Eric, Eric's uncle and Alex.

"You think too much, Sam." The human girl got out of her mind and glanced at Stella. Again, she had that superior thing, glowing in her eyes and around her body. It made the poor human tremble. She had such an effect over people, like she had a dark secret, like she was a dangerous killer undercover. The fact was that…she actually was.

"I wish I could figure what you're thinking about…" The human girl mumbled but of course, being the vampire she was, with incredible hearing and all that jazz, Stella heard perfectly. Just for the record, Stella had the undying desire to rip Sam's neck off. Alex saw Stella's expressionless face and knew something wasn't pink in her world. She was thinking deep about some thing or another. He had a slight thought that it might be because of him. That's when Alex remembered what Matt told him, an advice he shall never forget.

Alex just came back from hunting and he couldn't stand himself. Not because he killed a human, neah. He blocked those feelings long time ago. He was disgusted and felt that human's hand still touching his chest. He shivered just when he remembered.

"Did you have fun?" Matt asked, coming from the kitchen. The house was huge and in a Victorian style. Kind of hard not to be amazed by it, or get lost. Anyway, the living room was the biggest room from there and that because the vampire was pretty old, one of the elders actually, and he liked to party or have special guests.

"I don't like you." He mumbled, glaring slightly at the older male. Matt simply walked to the huge couch and poured himself a glass of the finest wine.

"Aww. You broke my heart." He said sarcastically, sitting on the long red couch. In one swift motion he was in front the library, searching for a book.

"I'm serious. You sent her to me. I thought you want me to flirt with her and kill her. She annoyed the hell out of me." He scoffed and jumped on the other long, black couch and closed his eyes, ready to relax. He couldn't, though. Matt pushed him off, making him fall on the ground.

"Now. It's time for another lesson." Alex raised an eyebrow at the stoic vampire and simply sat back on the couch, this time, not even trying to relax his muscles. "I told you everything I know about the Gregory family. Maybe too much." He snickered, having a quite funny expression on his face but that soon disappeared. "But I didn't tell you yet about the Gregory personality. Take care when you are around us." He started, his eyes holding that superior glint that not many vampires have. Alex felt like a small puppy while looking into those black orbs. "When a member of the family puts its hand on someone or something, it's ours. No one can touch that someone/something and still stay alive. It may sound silly and maybe we are used to take anything we want but Alexander…" Alex's heart started to beat faster, from fear. "You have her smell. She signed you. You are hers and if someone dares to take you from her…" He started to chuckled darkly. IT didn't last for much, he stopped in a second and his face became stoic again. "That person has its destiny already settled. That person will die sooner or later, one way or another." He ended his speech with an evil smirk.

Alex closed his eyes and could hear Tracy's heart pumping blood. Also, he could hear Stella fuming a few feet away. When he opened his eyes he glanced at the vampire female from the corner of his eye, Matt's voice ringing in his ear.

"Look, Tracy. You're…not for me. I won't say the famous quote that it's not your fault; it's mine, because that's just bullshit. There's a big difference between us and I'm not going to risk anything for a simple girl." He finished and walked away, knowing exactly how good Stella felt out of nowhere. Maybe he was crazy too but he felt good to be already taken by someone. He was Stella's even if he wanted it or not and he quite enjoyed that feeling.


	46. Chapter 46

**Chapter 45: Second Friend, Second Victim**

After lunch, Tracy wasn't as preppy as she was before. Stella had a smug face even though it didn't look too different than her usual expression. She didn't care about her supposed friend so why would she feel guilty? She left the moody Tracy with Sam and went searching for Austin who disappeared out of nowhere.

"Here you are…" Austin didn't even turn to greet the vampire female. He simply stood there, his back facing Stella. "How does my wolf feel today?" She asked smirking and raised an eyebrow. The boy scoffed, making Stella's smirk get even bigger.

"Do I look like a toy to you? Is everyone so unimportant?" Stella titled her head on one side sweetly and smiled sadistically.

"The truth hurts, doesn't it?" Austin's eyes changed to a yellow and launched to Stella. She didn't move until he was just a foot away. That's when she caught his neck and threw him into the wall. She flashed in front of him while he moved away. She turned around right when he was ready to punch her. She had her fangs out and was ready to snap his head but someone interrupted. That person immobilized the dangerous vampire.

"Stella! Stop it!" She growled at her brother and flashed out of his grasp, somewhere. Nate sighed while Austin stood there, watching the scene.

"She should be killed." He said in an expressionless voice. Nate looked down at his feet, finding something interesting at them. "You should do what's better for us, not for her." Nate's eyes reddened and glared at the young werewolf.

"Know your place, wolf." Austin's expression didn't change while Nate left.

Stella was ready to leave the campus when Sam emerged out of the school. She was in a bad mood and Stella was in a worse one so when the two storms clenched into each other it didn't end up good.

"What have you done to Tracy?" Stella didn't even stop and glance behind. She didn't have the nerves to wait and listen to the teenager, knowing she'll get annoyed. "Stop and look at me! I asked you a question!" Stella's eyebrow started to twitch. "I said I asked you a question!" She wanted to grab the vampire by her wrist but Stella stopped and turned around, her eyes furrowing into a glare.

"That's enough. You insolent bitch. You should know not to annoy someone who's visibly pissed already and more dangerous." Sam's eyes widened when Stella's fangs started to grow and her eyes reddened.

"What are you…?" Stella's glare intensified and in one fast move, Sam's body was sucked out of blood. After she finished her meal, Stella looked for viewers. There was no one, thankfully. She took Sam's dead body and flashed into the forest.


	47. Chapter 47

**Chapter 47: Boys Talk**

**Meanwhile, Alex had small problems. Actually, scratch that. He had huge problems. Girls were hovering over him, throwing themselves at him like toys. He shivered when he imagined some not very nice looking girls flirting with him. Unfortunately for him, some actually had the nerves to go and do that for real.**

**Nate was in the library, reading something peacefully, like nothing happened just a few hours before. He shifted through the pages like they were nothing, like words were flying in front of his eyes. Girls were watching him slightly dumbstruck from different reasons. He didn't care. However, when Alex fell on the seat next to him, girls started to whisper about the new hottie.**

"**Now I know why Matt accepts just Stella's feminine presence. She would never throw herself like that to a boy." Nate didn't take his eyes from the book. Alex shivered when he saw a few girls smiling nicely at him. "Too much to bear…even for me."**

"**Dignity." Alex raised an eyebrow at the noble. "Girls with dignity don't throw themselves at boys for anything in the world. Stella has dignity." Alex looked speechless at him.**

"**Stella is different from many points of view." Both boys turned to look at Eric. "She's independent, proud," He sat in front of them and smirked. "Definitely different. Stella's dignity and pride are bigger than any other vampire's. I bet Matt is the only one that can revile her on that." Alex chuckled and nodded.**

"**You seem much relaxed now." Nate pointed, putting the book on the table next to his chair.**

"**I…thought about what you said."**

"**You had the time?" Alex tried joking but Eric narrowed his eyes at the younger vampire, stopping him from saying another smart ass comment.**

"**I did, for your information. You both are right." Alex and Nate raised their eyebrows at the same time. "I did open the gates of hell and freed the leviathan…" Nate furrowed his eyebrows together at the vampire in front.**

"**These are consequences you'll have to pay forever." Nate was ready to leave when Alex spoke up.**

"**I…" Nate turned on his way to the door and faced Alex's troubled face. "The gates have been opened years ago but…how do you close them? How do you stop the leviathan?" Nate bent his head down while Eric sighed and closed eyes, tightly, his fists growing white.**

"**We can't. There's just the simple hope that keeps us believing she will stop by herself."**

"**But what about James's words? Kill or be killed….are we actually going to kill her?" Nate was silent for a while.**

"**No. We will definitely not kill my sister. We need a better way. Plus…I bet Matt would kill us all if we would touch a string of her hair." After he finished, Nate left the two vampires to reflect on his words.**


	48. Chapter 48

**Chapter 48: Lust**

**Meanwhile, Alex ran back to the Arche residence. It was quiet. The only noise came from upstairs, from Nate's room, more specifically, Nate's balcony. Alex flashed there in a second and stumbled back when he saw Stella sucking the blood out of some victim, other dead corps surrounding her.**

"**Want some?" She asked, getting her fangs out of the victim's neck and pointing it to the younger vampire. He shook his head no and walked back into the room, taking a seat on the bed. Stella rolled her eyes and grabbed the hand of the dead body she had killed and wiped her face of blood, throwing it aside after it wasn't needed anymore. "You are ruining the fun." She got up and walked slowly to the balcony door. "What about bloodsuckers? Aren't vampires called that? Shouldn't vampires kill and suck their victims' blood out of their bodies?" Alex didn't move and didn't talk. He was curious where she wanted to get. Her usual smug smirk formed in an instant and she started walking like a predator, watching her prey in its eyes, towards Alex. "Now, now Alex." She flashed in front of him, each leg on each side, trapping him; her hands on each side of his head, their faces too close. She was hovering over her prey and she won't let it escape until she hasn't finished with it.**

"**What are you doing, Stella?" His eyes were clouded. She smirked seeing as he was turned on already. She breathed on his lips, her eyes getting Alex in a trance.**

"**I always get what I want and right now, I want you." She whispered. The vampire underneath shuddered slightly. Her eyes were even more captivating than his. Those green orbs were shining. She trailed her finger down his chest, her eyes never leaving his. "Don't you want to see if I am as good as I've been the first time? No-" She stopped and took her finger back, putting her hand back on one side of his head. She leaned next to his hear and licked his earlobe. "I bet I would be the best you've ever had." In that moment every rational thought in Alex's head disappeared and in one swift motion he had a smirking Stella under him, his mouth shoved against hers, rough and passionate.**

**Taking her lips from his, she begun to work on removing his shirt but Alex stopped her.**

"**If we're doing this, we're doing it my way." His eyes were glistening with lust and his voice was husky. Also his orbs were slowly becoming a crimson red from the passion he had built up the whole time. Stella's eyes started to shine even more, excited for what was going to happen. She gave a small smirk and leaned up for another fiery kiss. His hands made quick work of her clothes. She arched her back to allow him to take her shirt off, before pulling her pants down. As soon as they were off, he was lying between her legs. He unclipped her black bra and pulled it off. Meanwhile, Stella's fiery attitude couldn't let Alex do the entire job and she simply tore his shirt apart. Not being obedient, Alex hissed next to her ear and bit her neck. She arched subconsciously and growled. The younger vampire pushed her back down but Stella, being Stella, growled again and rolled over, leaning in to kiss his lips. They made out for a few more minutes, his hands roaming all over her body until he started to fondle with her breasts. She didn't make any sound and just went and licked all over his collar bone and neck. She bit him too, marking her prey with a rather big hickey. It was his turn to growl and he rolled her over, being the one hovering over her tiny but powerful body. As he was kissing her, he felt the need to press his knee to where she ached for him. Surprisingly enough, she half moaned and half hissed.**

**The passion between the two was so big that Stella rolled again over Alex and they both changed their position in a standing one. Her knees were on each side of his body, one of her hands was in his hair and one was behind his neck, pressing him closer. She started to slowly move her lower regions into his, fraction that got Alex give a low, sexy and masculine moan. She smirked and cut the kiss short, getting the chance to look into his eyes while still moving sensually over him. He pressed her even closer while he got her into a new full of passion kiss, their tongues dancing feverishly together. He couldn't think with her there, he couldn't control his actions. All he wanted was her and nothing mattered in that moment. He pushed her hard on the bed and got her black panties and his boxers off. Without the slightest bit of warning, he thrust into her, making her moan, hands raking down his toned back, leaving red lines all over the flesh.**

"**God dammit!" He swore under his breath in a tone that got Stella even hotter. He didn't wait for Stella to adjust, of course. At he told her at the beginning, he was going to screw her his way. Being already used with pain, pleasure filled her instantly as he thrust faster and harder each time. His lips found hers, fangs digging into her lower lip until they draw tiny bits of blood. She growled again, moving in the same rhythm with him. She let her fangs nibble at his neck and earlobe, leaving gasps of pleasure from time to time. As she took his lower lip between her teeth, nibbling on it, he groaned, thrusting harder, making her let out more sensual sounds. The erotic dance between their bodies made her arch against him, pressing her breasts against his chest. He let out another growl as he started to grind faster until her eyes would've rolled into her head and her nails would dig harder into his back.**

**He pulled her knees on his chest , groaning loudly at the new depth that it caused him to reach. He suddenly angled her back on the bed, never tearing his blue orbs off her green ones, as she let out a pleasure whine when he hit the right spot. He grunted, hearing her make such sounds and got even faster, lifting her legs onto his shoulder and putting more of his weight on her, continuing to hit that spot. She rolled her head back, mouth opened and moaning. When she opened back, her eyes were as red as Alex's. She rolled him over while still being connected and started to ride him fast and hard. His hands were like glued to her body, always moving on her legs or her waist. She leaned in for another heated kiss. As Alex decided to roll around again, with one particularly deep and hard thrust, Stella could feel her orgasm nearing. She scratched his back while he pumped once more, deeper than before. Her nails dogged in his back again and pulled him down on her and whispered the dirtiest thing possible into his ear. He groaned in response and with a final thrust, both vampires come at the same time, Stella hissing while Alex sank his fangs into her neck. He pulled out and let himself fall next to her. He groaned again, knowing that, that day will haunt him.**

"**I can't believe you fooled me into this." He mumbled, regaining his breath. She chuckled and turned on one side to look at him. When their eyes met, Alex could've swore he saw something from the nicest and better Stella but it disappeared as fast as it came. Her eyes were back to being mischievous.**

"**You wanted it as much as I did. Don't forget, Alex. I owe you and always will. You are mine and I can play with you whenever I want. "She smirked and rolled over him. "You are my toy. I shall do whatever I want with you." She flashed to the bathroom door and opened it. She had one of the bed sheets wrapped around her naked body. He raised a little, leaning on his elbows. "We should do this more often." She smiled wickedly over her shoulder at Alex and walked into the bathroom, closing the door after her. Alex ran a hand through his hair and sighed, falling back on the bed.**


	49. Chapter 49

**Chapter 49: The Puppets**

**A few hours later, at school Eric was the only one present. There was no Nate, and that was what worried him the most. Nate was a cool headed and smart vampire so he knew what was better to do, yet there was still that awful 'what if' question. He helped Stella before so what would stop him now? Nothing and that was a reason to be terrified. Also, surprisingly there was no Alex. The school's female population was talking about what he did to Tracy and how he didn't make an appearance yet. It seemed no one found out what happened to Sam and the vampire was very curious what his uncle did to her body. Stella wasn't at school either but that wasn't a shocker. God knows what she does and, probably, Matt.**

"**Eric…" The vampire turned to look at his werewolf friend, or what was left from that supposed friendship. "Where are Stella and Nate?" He sighed and chose to ignore him for the moment. "You know the girl that flirted with Nate at the last party?" Seeing as Eric didn't respond, Austin continued. "Her name is Dana. She is a vampire slayer." The vampire turned his head to look at the visibly weaker creature and raised an eyebrow.**

"**Does she know where Nate is?" Austin didn't react in any way.**

"**She met him in the forest. He didn't look too good. Something about Stella's influence and his self control."**

"**Influence? She doesn't have any power over Nate." Austin rolled his eyes.**

"**Really. She's his younger sister. That's enough power. He feels everything she does so he must be struggling to keep in control. You should go find him." Austin turned to leave but Eric stopped him.**

"**Why do you help me? I heard Stella attacked you." Austin stopped just a moment.**

"**She wasn't like that when I first met her. Let's just say I thought more about this subject and it might be better not to kill her." Eric raised an eyebrow, amused by his words. There was more but he didn't want to push his luck. Austin left soon after.**

**Meanwhile, as Austin said, Nate had problems. He was standing somewhere in the forest, leaning on a tree, his eyes looking into nothingness without an emotion. He was thinking deeply about his recent meeting with Dana, the now known vampire slayer. Her wors cut deep into his soul.**

**Nate left the Arche residence an flashed into the forest, his head buzing, ready to explode. He already kille every person he met on the way: three men an a young girl. It was heart aching the fact that the girl was just about 10 years old, but the urge was driving him crazy. He couln't control himself, he was close to the path Stella went on. He stopped in a clearing, not far from a camp and he snifed.**

"**Shit" He cursed and punched the nearest tree. He stood there, that small child's innocent and scare eyes still imprinted in his head. He hit the tree again with his foot and turned, his eyes changing colors. "What do you want? Any more information on my sister?" He turne fully and glare at the human. "Sorry.-" He pushed her into a tree, his hand holding her by her neck. "Not in the mood." The girl didn't seem to be afraid.**

"**I wouldn't break anything right now if I were you." Both pair of eyes looked down to Nate's chest. The girl had a stick in front the place Nate's heart would be. His eyes trailed back to her green ones. He got himself lost into them. They were mesmering but evens so, they were far from the beauty and the entrancing orbs that Stella had. He grabbed his hand back and turned his back. "I don't want anything in particularly from you. The problem in Firehole is not you." Nate chuckled.**

"**Of course. How stupid from me. It's about Stella. One way or another, she always ends up being the problem." Dana looked intently at Nate's back. Something in his tone idn't seem as protective as it should've sound. "You know, I'm sick of being the older protective brother. I hate how I have to the the dirty work. I hate to clean after her missery and be pitied. I did go through changes too!" He turned, his eyes furious, but not red yet. "I have my own life! I'm sick of this! I'm tired of not being able to stick up for myself in front of her!" His eyes got red and he hisse. "And you know what hurts the most?" Dana titled her head on one side, acually curious. "That I can not stop myself. I can't control my actions. She has so much power over me even if she doesn't do anything! Damn it!" He hit a tree so hard from the rage, that it fell. Dana took a few steps forward and looke softly at the now trying to calm down vampire.**

"**Stella is your sister. Maybe you can't control the urge to help her and love her." Nate scoffed and glare at the human, making shivers going down her spine.**

"**Vampires don't love." She raised an eyebrow and shook her head.**

"**You're wrong. That's what old vampires thought. The ones that are dead now. I bet that Alex told Stella this and she told you, of course. But remember that Alex have been in contact with The Young Gregory." Nate raised his head and looked curiously at Dana.**

"**The Young Gregory, as you call him, is my uncle. Whatever he thinks, whatever he does, he will always be family and family think alike."**

"**Not all the time. Matthew Gregory have always been a pain in the ass, for both vampires and vampire slayers. He got the werewolves to fear him. He is that strong. He has power, he manipulates but whatever he says, there's someone he can't hurt and that means he cares."**

"**Stella." Dana nodded. "He cares about Stella because of what happened long time ago. He cares about her because she looks like mom, whom he respected. He cares about her just because she's powerful enough to stand straight in front of him." Dana chuckled.**

"**He cares about her because she's family. She's the only Gregory, the only female Gregory. And you, "She started to chuckle. "You are so important for him, you can't even imagine." Nate looked dumbly at Dana. "Really? You don't know? Haven't even thought about it?" Nate titled his head on one side, his eyebrow quirked up. He looked pretty cute in that moment and Dana blushed making the vampire smirk. She coughed, figuring that a smirking Nate coming closer to her was embarrassing her enough.**

"**Why am I important for Matt, Dana?" He asked, his teasing smirk never letting his face.**

"**You are a man. Male. Boy. Complicated genre that like girls. A male vampire." Nate raised an eyebrow again, not getting the point. Dana rolled her eyes. "You can procreate. You can get a female human pregnant and so there can be more Gregory's. Of course you'd have to transform both of them, or just the child, mostly if it's a boy. Apart from you and Matthew, there are no Gregory males in the world. He never, and I mean never wanted to procreate. He doesn't want a wife, family or children. As long as the vampire slayers know, now that he found you two, he thinks about both of you as his successors. Stella appeals to him more because of what she did and what's she doing again. But you are as important as her."**

"**And why did you waste your time and came here, risking your life, to tell me this?" She shrugged.**

"**Your father and mom are good friends." Nate opened his eyes wider and looked amused at Dana.**

"**So you are Billie's little 'treasure'." The girl rolled her eyes and blushed again. "Yeah. She told us about you. She rambles about a lot of unimportant things but this one caught our attention. Stella was so excited to meet you, at one point." He checked her out, making the girl blush even harder and glare at him. "You do look nice, though." He smirked and turned his back again and closed his eyes.**

"**Anyway…" Dana started after a small moment of silence. "I wanted you to know that…you are just as important as Stella and that you're not just a puppet she can manipulate however she wants." He opened one eyes and gave a small but truthful laugh.**

"**There is something else too, isn't there?" Dana chuckled and nodded.**

"**Mom heard there are more vampire coming to Firehole…to kill Stella. There is no turning back. There are also more vampire slayers going to wonder around here. The werewolves…came to a common accord with the slayers. If you or Stella gets killed, Matt will start a war. IT will be horrible, worse than the first and second World Wars. This is not a joke, not a game anymore. Stella has to be protected but we all know she won't stop. You have to keep her under control."**

"**And how am I supposed to do that?" Dana's eyes hardened.**

"**Use the puppets she already has." Nate turned and looked weirdly at the human who just grinned innocently.**

"**The puppets she already has…but…" He stopped and widened his eyes. He found out who her toys were.**


	50. Chapter 50

**Chapter 50: The Real Deal**

**At the Arche residence, James was stupidly grinning for no reason.**

"**What's wrong with you?" Alex asked, taking a sip from his glass of blood. James's grin got even bigger, looking as a mad man. Alex looked quite freaked out by the older Arche.**

"**Is Stella a good kisser?"When he got where James was getting, Alex's eyes widened and stopped mid-action. He tried to ignore the question. James just started to laugh loudly. "My, my. You smell like her even after showering. Must have been pretty rough." If Alex could've blushed, he would've done it. Thankfully, he was just embarrassed.**

"**It's not your problem what I do." He tried to cover it up. James quirked an eyebrow up and snickered.**

"**Maybe not mine, but my dear nephew, even if he doesn't recognize it, he does."**

"**Does what?" James smirked knowingly.**

"**He cares. Vampires choose to stop or not that feeling. Love doesn't exist in this world because feelings change. How can you love something that suffers continuous changing? But…even worse is something that doesn't change at all. It becomes monotone, like a desk job. You go every day to the same place, same work, same attitude, same personality, same life. You start having déjà vu's because life becomes…boring and repeat itself." Alex bent his head down. "Matt didn't tell you this, huh?" He snickered seeing how easily he could turn Alex's 'education' into his favor.**

"**You think I'm stupid?" The man looked surprised at the younger vampire. "Do you think I believe everything Matt told me? He helped me get through some hard moments, indeed, but that's all. I do care about Stella too and I'm not afraid to yell it out if I have to. I care!" The door suddenly opened.**

"**Good. Cause I care too." Both vampires turned to look into Nate's icy green eyes. "I care what happens with my sister and even if I have my own self control problems I will protect her as I did before, because that's what older brothers do." Alex rolled his eyes.**

"**And how are you going to start this protecting mission?" He snarled. Nate smirked, the glint of superiority appearing into his eyes.**

"**With you." James watched Nate with amusement.**

"**And so the real game begins." He mumbled, knowing fully what Matt's plans where. It wasn't hard to figure it out since it had actually been obvious even from the beginning, at least for him. "Let's see who dies and who lives." He continued, shaking lightly the glass of blood he held.**

**While Nate was making his own plan, concerning both Eric and Alex, and while James was enjoying the intensity of the problems, in other places people were getting themselves ready for the real battle that had to come.**

"**Did you talk with him?" Dana glanced at her mother and nodded. "Good. He must know about the agreement."**

"**Why did you want me to tell everything to Nate? Isn't he the enemy?" Billie shook her head.**

"**Vampires and werewolves aren't deadly enemies. It is in our nature but we live in the 21st century." A voice called out from the shadows. Dana watched as the man came out to light. He was fit, he had messy brown hair and blue eyes and he looked quite attractive but it was obvious he was much older than she. Billie smiled at the man.**

"**Dana, you haven't had the pleasure to meet Jerry. He's an old friend."**

"**An old werewolf friend. Why doesn't this surprise me?" Billie and Jerry started to laugh but stopped when Jerry came closer.**

"**I'm a nice man. I just want to live …in the end."**

"**He told me about the agreement. He knows about Stella and Nate. He knows everything." Billie stopped, Jerry continuing.**

"**I'm actually a…acquaintance of Matt's." Dana's eyes widened in shock. He laughed. "Happens all the time. It's surprising to hear how Matt has actually never hated werewolves." Dana nodded slowly. "He's not such a bad vampire but…well….alright, he is evil and playful but he likes peace. He likes to be just Matt, the man-whore, the vampire who likes to mess around but he does everything with measure. He knows when to stop."**

"**Then why doesn't he stop this?" Jerry chuckled.**

"**That's a good question. I would say you could ask him but that's impossible. Just the family know where he is." Dana raised an eyebrow. "They feel each other's presence. The Gregory family have always been a mystery, for everyone. But they never started a fight."**

"**What about Stella?" Dana smirked, seeing as maybe she cornered Jerry. It didn't work.**

"**Stella's behavior has always been watched. Matt is not stupid. He's…everywhere, somehow. What you told Nate is true. There's not a lie in any line you said. But Stella is what a true vampire means. She has all the attributes." Dana nodded.**

"**What's with this agreement?" Jerry glanced at Billie, who nodded as a sign to tell her.**

"**From generation to generation, vampire nobles have always ended up killing each other for…nothing." Dana looked stupidly at him. He chuckled and sat down next to Billie on the couch. "You know what Stella had done in the past." Dana nodded. "She hasn't been the only one. The nobles were marrying their children between the families. Like Arche and Blanche. Chris with Rebecca and Eric with Stella. But let's not get into that long story. There had always been a human that had to mess up everything and there had always been a victim who changed drastically and became more evil than Devil." Dana nodded again. The story was getting interesting. "So, Stella isn't the first and definitely won't be the last to simply…lose control. The Gregory's are the one who had made this agreement between the two rivals. It may sound weird because I know there are so many stories about werewolves, vampires and the eternal battles between them but no one wanted a war. Matt is one of the oldest vampires alive and he took it upon himself to keep the agreement secure. It seems vampires want to rebel or a few at least. Stella is like a weapon. She is the key to break it."**

"**If Stella dies, Matt would rip it off." Jerry nodded. "But if Stella lives, she will kill." Jerry shook his head.**

"**No. Matt knows that Stella will recover and control herself again. That's why there's Nate, Alex and Eric. These three mean something for her."**

"**So we have to fight for this agreement to be kept." Jerry nodded. "The vampire slayers will kill all the vampires who rebel by trying to kill Stella." He nodded again. Dana sighed and threw her arms in the air for more drama. "This is like a drama series!" Billie chuckled while Jerry shook his head.**

"**This is the real deal. The real life in our world and humans should never find out about it. If they find the truth, they might get the wrong idea. It's better to keep them safe by leaving them believe vampires and werewolves are cool and intriguing." Dana bent her head down and sighed. It really wasn't what she expected. There were so many risks and so many troubles.**


	51. Chapter 51

**Chapter 51: Past and Present**

The next day everyone went to school. Everyone was present and they were all acting way too normal. Tracy stopped hanging around Stella and she developed a huge crush on Alex, from distance. On the other side, Austin and Dana were inseparable, which caused a small tinge of jealousy going through Nate. Eric and Alex were hanging each with their own 'friends' while Stella wasn't there. She was the exception from that first line.

"You talked with her?" Alex asked Nate, glancing at Dana. The older vampire nodded. "She's a vampire slayer." Nate rolled his eyes, annoyed.

"What did she tell you?" Nate trailed his eyes to Eric.

"I believe it doesn't interest you." Eric stared at the noble without an expression on his face.

"It is about Stella?" He finally asked. Nate shook his head.

"No." After that short answer that left Alex with his mouth hanging open, he left. Eric's deep blue eyes watched as Nate left the cafeteria.

"What do you think they talked about?" Alex asked not taking his eyes off Dana, who felt his intense gaze on her back. Austin glanced at Eric, as a sign to nudge the younger vampire and take his eyes off her. Eric didn't even bulge; instead he sat up and left too. Alex rolled his eyes. "Fine. Go and ignore me, too."

Alex's words didn't even reach Eric's ears. He had so many thoughts running through his head. He couldn't stay at school more so he chose to leave. He wasn't far from Fey's when he felt her presence. He walked in to see Stella flirting with some guy. It was obvious she just wanted to drain him out of blood but not obvious enough for the victim. He stood there, near the entrance, watching her, listening to her. His eyes closed for a moment and that was enough to let go of the strings and remember.

_It was a harsh night. The weather was more than bad and it got even worse. It was storming outside but inside the Blanche mansion Stella's laughter was drowning the entire house. She wasn't alone. There was another voice laughing._

"_You're such a cheater!" Eric looked unbelievably at her green eyes._

"_How can you cheat at chess?" Stella stuck her tongue out and crossed her hands in front her chest._

"_I don't know. Maybe you moved a piece while I wasn't looking." He chuckled and shook his head._

"_I couldn't even if I wanted to. Your eyes never left the chess table or me." She stared directly at Eric and shrugged. When a louder thunder stroke Stella looked outside like it was sunny. She went closer to the window, ignoring Eric's stare. A smile graced her lips when a bolt of lightning appeared on the sky._

"_First there's the thunder…" She started. A few seconds later there was another loud noise coming from the sky. "And second comes the lightning." She finished, her eyes enlightened by the phenomenon outside._

"_Isn't this normal?" Stella chuckled._

"_Of course it is. It's just that…I feel like there's going to come a huge storm that not even father can prevent it." Eric walked next to Stella and looked outside too._

"_There are times he won't be able to be your savior." The female smiled innocently and glanced at the male next to her._

"_I know. That's why I have you." Eric couldn't help but smile too at her naivety._

"_And when I won't be there anymore? What will happen?" Her smile remained unchanged._

"_I can always count on Nate." Eric chuckled._

"_He's always been your prince in shining armor." She rolled her eyes and walked deeper into the room. She sat on one of the armchairs, very lady like, but her smile wasn't gracing her lips anymore._

"_Have you ever thought what would happen if you'd…be the only one?" Eric raised an eyebrow, intrigued._

"_The only one?" She nodded, again that innocence never leaving her form._

"_The only vampire alive." The man shrugged. He didn't know what to respond because he knew vampires will always exist. They survived so long so why would they suddenly disappear?_

"_I don't understand." He tried to cover it up. Stella sighed and shook her head._

"_Nevermind. It was stupid anyway." He looked intently at her face, seeing as whenever she was thinking about something, it could've been seen on her face expression. In that moment, her face didn't give any hint of what was she reflecting so hard on._

"_What got you so preoccupied, Stella?" He asked while walking closer to her._

"_Nothing." He stood there, watching her. "Alright, fine. These past few days I've been thinking about…being a vampire." He chuckled slightly, trying not to sound too amused by that._

"_Being a vampire? But you are already one." She shook her head._

"_No. I've seen vampires, real vampires, and they're not like me. I can't even stand blood, Eric! I'm afraid of so many things and I act like a harmless human." There was a small pause where just the storm could've been heard. "I'm sick of this. I want to be a real vampire." She stopped and bent her head down, looking at her hands. "I want to be the real deal; a vampire like Uncle Matt." _

At first he didn't find that conversation weird but there was definitely something wrong with Stella's thinking. She has always appreciated humans, reason why she had a human best friend but the thought of being evil and killing people seemed to arise in her mind. She wanted to change more for Eric because he used to tell her she acted like a baby sometimes. Even if those were just small teases, for Stella it was the true and she never liked it. Now that he thought about that, Stella needed just a reason so she could change, become like her uncle, a small nudge that Eric gave to her willingly. He didn't like it one bit. She got another nudge and the balance has been disturbed, shaken; Nate was still her chevalier, Alex was the person she could anytime use as a support and he…he was the one that started everything. The thought simply struck Eric.

"The past is repeating itself." He mumbled, his eyes watching as Stella's form disappeared behind the front door.


	52. Chapter 52

**Chapter 52: Three Hard Words**

While Eric had lost himself in old memories, Stella was in her victim's car, draining him out of blood. She got her fangs out of his neck and titled her head on one side, looking innocently at the dead corps. His eyes were still opened and wickedly enough, she loved the soulless stare the dead was giving her. In the end she walked out the car and set it on fire.

Walking through the town, her eyes back to green and her shirt and mouth cleaned up, she felt watched. Everywhere she glanced she could see a few men and women staring at her, even glaring at her. She smirked, knowing fully that those vampires were there for her. She walked slowly to a darker alley, sensing one vampire after her. When the female vampire stopped to look around for the noble she got pulled into the darkness. Stella got out and smirked.

"And so the game begins." And she continued her way to the Arche residence where she knew she will have fun with Alex.

Meanwhile, Dana was searching for Nate, who simply disappeared. Austin was searching for Eric too, but no nobles were near school.

"What do we do now? Mom already killed a few vampires and Jerry said…" Austin interrupted the girl.

"Jerry? The Jerry a.k.a werewolf who keeps the contract between vampires and werewolves? Jerry, friend of Matt?" She nodded. Austin's face got enlightened by a huge smile. "He's a legend! Dad told me about him once. He's the only werewolf who dares to even joke around Matt. And his transformation doesn't even hurt!" Dana raised an eyebrow, watching Austin amused.

"Right…that Jerry. It seems he's a very good friend of mom's. He told me about the agreement. If vampires kill Stella-"

"Matt will be mad. And a mad, old and sadistic vampire is even worse than Stella." She nodded.

"Exactly. Vampires are already here. I told Nate to use Eric and Alex to keep Stella safe and maybe get her back to normal…I hope he got the hint when I said 'puppets'."

"He did. I'm sure of that. He's very smart. How do you think they will get her under control again? Last time she had to forget everything so she could change." The young vampire slayer simply sighed and shrugged.

"Let's just hope. We'll see what happens next." Austin nodded and both walked back in the school, with an eye opened for the nobles and Alex.

The 'puppet' named Alex wasn't at home as Stella would've wanted. Instead he was walking through the town aimlessly, not paying attention to his surroundings. He was close to a park when he started to remember the first time he met the dangerous vampire female.

It was a cold day and the sun wasn't giving any clue that it will appear soon on the dark cloudy sky. Alex, dressed in a much more antique clothes and his hair styled in a certain way, had to be at the mayor mansion for new assignments. The mansion was near and Alex didn't pay much attention to the raindrops that started to invade the small city. When he walked inside the building he saw two persons, a man and a woman, dressed beautifully, talking with the mayor. The sad old man made a sign to Alex to walk closer. The woman smiled at the young human.

"So you are the one who will teach my daughter." Alex nodded and kissed the woman's hand, respectfully. Her smile was showing the perfect white teeth she had as well as the glow her face was emitting. Alex got himself amazed by her from every point of view.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss Blanche. I was delighted when mayor Wenford asked me to be your daughter's teacher." The woman glanced back to her husband and nodded.

"He's perfect for Rebecca." The man nodded and got back to talking with the mayor. The woman turned her attention back to Alex. "How old are you Alexander?"

"20 soon enough. I was a little surprised you want such a young teacher. I, myself, just finished my studies." She nodded and grabbed his hand.

"You're perfect for this job. I want you to take this…" He looked down to his palm to see what the woman gave him. It was a medallion. His eyes widened and almost dropped the jewelry. "Take it. It's made of small amethysts and you will need it in the future." He nodded, a little skeptical, and kissed her hand before retreating. Outside, he walked straight into the now hard pouring rain. He looked up to the sky and trailed his eyes down until his blue orbs found a small figure in the middle of a pretty much empty street. He walked straight to her.

"Aren't you cold in the rain?" The tiny figure turned to him and that's when Alex was sure it was the ultimate surprise. The girl was young, a teenager about maybe 16 years. She simply stared at him with her intense green eyes, not even blinking once. He felt a chill run down his back. Her gaze was so entrancing and at the same time, frightening.

"It can't be colder than I already am." She responded in a dry, emotionless voice. Alex furrowed his eyebrows together curious. Her eyes trailed every part of Alex until they went back to his blue eyes. "You must be Alexander Smith, Rebecca's new tutor." He nodded, speechless. She gave a tiny smile, showing the same features as the woman before. "I'm Stella, her sister." He was even more surprised when she stuck her hand out. He stared for a second before shaking it. Her smile got wider and happier, her eyes started to sparkle, flowing with emotions into those green orbs. He couldn't help but smile too.

"Why are you doing in the middle of the street, alone and in the rain?" He finally found his voice to say. She glanced back to the sky and closed her eyes, a peaceful expression gracing her face.

"I love the rain. I love how the drops fall down on my skin, how no sound can be heard except it and how powerful it is. The rain does whatever it wants, there's no one to tell it to stop. It's like a flood of power rushing down on the ground. It takes the dirt with it and leaves just fresh air behind." She looked back into his eyes, her smile being melancholic. "It makes me feel alive." He raised an eyebrow not understanding her words. She chuckled softly. "You can't understand until you live through it."

The memory got Alex to smile. She was right. He couldn't understand her words or what she was feeling in that moment because he hasn't lived such a life…until now. Every time when was raining he would go and simply stand in the middle of it. He would always remember the time he confessed to her. It was in the same place while there was a storm. She was sad…

"Stella?" The girl didn't turn to face the man. Her face was bent down, covered by her dark bangs. He walked to her and turned her around forcefully. "What happened?" She didn't respond. He shook her shoulders but there was no answer. "What's going on, Stella?" She sighed and finally gave a sign of life.

"It's Rebecca. Even if she's just a harmless human girl, she's powerful than me. I can't even drink blood; I don't know how I live!" She turned her head to the right, the bangs still covering her eyes. "No one believes I'm a vampire. Mom is supportive but…I lost my hope that I will someday be a powerful vampire like Uncle Matt." Alex sighed and hugged her tightly. "And adding to all these….mom wants me to marry a stranger." Alex tightened his grip on her. "I don't want to suffer because of that too." He grabbed her face and forced her to look into his eyes.

"I will never let someone make you suffer." Her eyes bent down but he forced her chin back up. "I love you."

I love you. Those words she never told back to him. She was convinced she fell in love with Eric. The smile that was gracing Alex's lips transformed into a straight line. She never loved anyone; she just tried to make herself believe her own lies. She wanted to be human because she wasn't good at being a vampire. He showed her what happiness was and Eric's presence simply turned everything upside down. But he knew then and still knew that Stella couldn't love and still doesn't have the power to make her heart beat. There is just the organ which is pumping blood through her body, but there is no emotion.

Alex got out of his thoughts when he got slammed into a building. When he opened his eyes, he met two red ones. He raised an eyebrow but didn't make any move to defend himself.

"Filthy blood. You're not even with your own kind." He remained silent and emotionless. "Why are you against vampires? Why do you help them?" Instead of a glare, the vampire female in front got a smirk. Her glare, though, got deeper. "Stella Blanche will have a painful death." Alex's smirk got even bigger.

"If Stella dies, you will be the one to die painfully. Matt won't be merciful when he will find out his favorite niece got killed." The vampire continued her glare and was ready to kill Alex but everything that could've been heard was her own yell. Her heart has been ripped out. "Too slow." He left the body there and walked back to the Arche mansion.


	53. Chapter 53

**Chapter 53: The Answer Has Been Here All Along**

Stella just arrived at the Arche residence when James flashed downstairs, in a suit. She raised one eyebrow and smirked.

"Well, well. What do we have here?" James rolled his eyes and walked in front the mirror. "Why so classy?" James just re-arranged his tie and grabbed a hand through his brown, messy hair. She furrowed her eyebrows, annoyed, and flashed behind him. "Are you meeting someone…important, James?" The vampire glared at the female through the mirror, seeing her curious gaze. In that moment, Stella looked as the one he met just a few weeks before she lost control over her mind. "It's not nice to stare, James." He returned back to the glare treat and simply flashed out the door. The youngest vampire was just entering when he got pushed aside by the rapid older vampire male.

"What's up with him?" He asked Stella, who was opening a bottle of whisky. "What's up with you?" She shrugged and poured herself a glass of alcohol.

"I've been stressed out by vampires who want to kill me, from afar." She rolled her eyes and took a sip from her glass. "They don't even have the gut to come and fight." Alex walked over the couch and sat on it, parallel to Stella's seat on the other couch.

"No problem. They came to me." She looked up to him and raised an eyebrow. "It was a female. She didn't represent a threat. They're not that powerful." Stella nodded, slowly. Something was off about her and Alex couldn't quite figure out what was she thinking of.

"You don't have to stare, Alex. I know I'm acting a little out of character." The vampire was taken back completely. She actually seemed nice. "I bet you're trying to find out the reason." She stated, smirking. "Well…" She took another sip of her drink. "Let's wait for the other two musketeers so I wouldn't have to repeat myself." Alex stood there staring at her while she simply opened the TV and started to watch the news. A few hours later, Nate and Eric walked in. They were surprised to see Stella acting as normal as someone could, like nothing was wrong in the world. Nate stood there, dumbstruck, while Eric walked to her.

"What are you doing?" It was a skeptical tone. She grunted and switched positions: from staying on one side and leaning on her hand to simply roll on her stomach.

"Watching TV, duh! Can you move? I can't see." He stood there, eyes widened at her behavior.

"She's been like that since I came home, a few hours ago." Alex explained to Nate. All three men were staring curiously at the only woman in the room. She glanced at them from the corner of her eye and sighed. She turned off the TV and sat up, stretching.

"Now that you're all here…I bet you want an explanation." They nodded slowly. "Matt sent one of his friends to keep an eye on me." She said in the most serious and deadly tone she could master. "Maybe it doesn't sound as a bad thing." She started to walk to them. "But…it is. Jerry is the werewolf who keeps the agreement. I am the obstacle from a war being started. I don't want a war and I don't want that agreement to be ripped. But…"She glared intently at all of them. "If they want a war, they will get one. " Nate looked as intently at her as she was. It seemed that he could finally put his plan in action.

"Then be it." He said. Everyone stared at him. "They want to kill you? Let them come." Alex gasped while Eric stared thoughtful.

"Are you sure?" Instead of Nate, responded Eric.

"Yes. He's right. The only way to end this is to kill all of them. It would be easier to get it done with all at the same time." Alex nodded and glanced at Stella. Unfortunately, she disappeared in the second Eric opened his mouth and gave the response.

Meanwhile, Stella couldn't hold anymore that much stress, mostly because she knew that if she wanted, she might as well kill each vampire and set them on fire, but it would be a risk; obviously big fire would get everybody's attention. Not a good plan. She didn't flash anymore, instead she choose to walk slowly to the lake Alex got her while they were training on that first day. She would never forget it. It almost made a smile appear on her stoic face. Almost. As cold as she became while losing all the rationality from her mind, that kind of feelings were forbidden. When she arrived at the lake she hid behind a tree. There was already someone. She furrowed her eyebrows, trying to get a better view. She was a good distance away from that person. Her eyes widened when someone came from behind and simply shoved her into a nearby tree. She was caught off guard. She didn't even have time to react because the attacker shoved her into another tree, this time, harder.

Stella put a hand to her head and groaned. She surely didn't expect that to hurt. Whoever was that vampire, it was strong.

"Aren't you going to fight back?" She growled when she heard his voice. Her eyes reddened and hissed at the man that finally chose to come into view.

"Why should I tire myself over you? You know the rules. Do not hurt or kill Stella." She responded in a monotone voice.

"True. We don't want you dead." She scoffed and rolled her eyes.

"You agreed to it just so the agreement wouldn't be destroyed." The brown haired man nodded. "Doesn't this show how weak werewolves became, Jerry?" Her tone was amused and she smirked wickedly, getting a glare from the old werewolf.

"Vampires are weaker. They get overwhelmed by strong emotions and chose to ignore them or get rid of them. We control our feelings." Stella glared at the man, getting where he wanted to hint at.

"Emotions are just a burden. They make you weak and helpless." Jerry titled his head back and grinned.

"Your parents didn't think so. You didn't think so when you thought you love Eric." She sneered and rolled her eyes annoyed.

"And again we're going back to that stupid, fairytale-ish story. I never loved Eric. I was just blind. I held a big respect for humans but Rebecca changed my mind. Humans are-"She got interrupted by Jerry, fact that got her eyes redden even more.

"You liked a human, Stella. You changed him." She bent her head down, relaxing her muscles. That was right. She did change Alex because she didn't want to suffer anymore by just being herself. He seemed to be her only salvation. It wasn't like that, though. "Cat got your tongue, Stel?" She didn't even glare at him. She didn't move at all. She had so many thoughts running through her head that it simply got her speechless. "You know…Matt never wanted this for you." She raised her head and stared expressionless in front. "He though Nate will be the one in your place yet here you are. I do agree that you are pretty strong. I don't even want to imagine what would happen if Matt would train you. You would really become a killing weapon. Thanks Eric and Alex for not being that bad." He mumbled the last part.

"Eric is a nuisance. Alex is…" Jerry's eyes softened. She shook her head and simply flashed away. Jerry smiled softly.

"You were right Matt. The answer has been here all along." He chuckled before leaving too.


	54. Chapter 54

**Chapter 54: Torture**

Stella didn't know what to do. What Jerry said simply caught her off guard. She couldn't let herself be controlled by emotions. She should be the one in control yet it seemed every little part of the cold, evil Stella was slowly slipping off. She didn't get too far from the lake. She just ran off to get rid of the annoying, smart werewolf. She stood there, leaning on a tree, her head held back and her eyes closed. She had such a peaceful face, it was almost shocking. The sudden change in her behavior was getting to her. She couldn't pretend everything was alright because it just wasn't. Something was changing her back. She opened her eyes, suddenly, and glanced to her left. She felt a breeze and in one move, she was up, guard and walls back up.

"Well, well, well. Stella Blanche, alone in the forest. My Christmas gift will come earlier this year!" She glared at the presence. She couldn't figure from where it came but she was sure he was close. "Don't panic, Stella. Actually, no. Do panic. I want you to squirm." Her eyes got bloody red and her canines grew immediately. She stood there, concentrating. She wasn't going to let that vampire alive.

In this time, the men finally caught one of the visitors. He wanted to get in the mansion and supposedly find and kill Stella but he had a surprise when Nate walked into the room and pinned him to the wall. Now, the unnamed vampire was in a tight diver costume, well isolated and immersed in water at a temperature selected by the vampires, as not to be too cold or too hot, his tactile sensations as not to occur. His eyes were covered and the gravitation being annihilated by the water's pressure, the sensorial sighting becoming almost total. Even as a vampire, without having the reflex to breathe, it could've been seen how uncomfortable he was and how, slowly, he started to hallucinate.

"Lack of sensations, of any power source is at odds with normal mental state and cause disorders." Everyone in the room stared at Nate.

"How…what…do I even want to know how you know that?" Nate chuckled lowly and shook his head.

"It's quite intriguing." Eric hummed in response. He just wanted to get out some information. The vampire tried to escape but the chains that were attached to his arms and legs were strong enough. Alex poked slightly the glass getting the vampire's attention back from his hallucination.

"Why do you want so bad to kill Stella?" He shivered slightly at her name. Eric smirked and walked closer, his voice getting louder. "Well? I don't hear any answer." The vampire started to stutter.

"I-I…we've been informed she is bad news." Eric furrowed his eyebrows, curious.

"Why would she be bad news?" No sound came out from the victim. "If you don't start talking you might as well live your own little life in your own little tub." The anonymous vampire shivered again.

"No! Let me go!" Alex shook his head.

"Such a coward." Eric glared to the vampire dressed in a diver suit.

"If she dies, you'll all die." Nate added. The vampire nodded fast.

"The agreement…it…it would help us kill werewolves." Eric narrowed his eyes.

"Why would you want that? Matt wouldn't be too happy."

"It's been heard that…werewolves are planning to attack us. We prefer to kill them first. If-if the agreement is destroyed…we-we have every right to kill them." Alex stared surprised into space while Nate and Eric stared at each other. None heard when James entered. His eyes were hard and almost red.

"Killing a werewolf is forbidden according to the agreement and that's how it shall remain." His voice was cold as ice. He shocked the younger vampires with his possessive and dangerous feeling flying around his body. It was damn clear that something happened.


	55. Chapter 55

**Chapter 55: Overwhelming**

Meanwhile, Stella was just at the beginning with the mysterious vampire.

"Stella, Stella, Stella. What a nice name for a dangerous vampire. Blanche…it doesn't suit you. Maybe Noir, as you're more to the dark side." He chuckled amused by his own joke.

"I would love to see you saying that into my face." Her voice was husky, her tone deadly. She was pissed off and she didn't even know who the reason was.

"You'd love that, wouldn't you? But my answer is negative. It's not the time yet." She glared at nothingness yet there was someone.

"Who are you?" The voice was boyish and he couldn't have been older than she was. His voice was amused and seemed to make fun of the situation, which reminded her about Alex, yet at the same time he was serious and his chuckles sounded wicked.

"Trying to elucidate me? Not going to work." His chuckles were emitting around the entire forest. "I'm not playing around, Stella." She felt a shiver down her spine, which was not like her. "I'm giving you a hard time, don't I?" His chuckles stopped after that line. "Good." That time, the voice sounded like it was from behind her. She turned to look at whoever was there but it was nothing.

"What do you want? Kill me? Like the rest of them?" He scoffed, a little too loudly. She turned to the left, the sound coming from there, or at least that was what she thought.

"I'm not like the rest of them." She closed her eyes trying to block every sound out except the anonymous vampire. "You are not like the rest either. You are the key to destroy the arrangement between vampires and werewolves."

"Ain't I proud of that…"The sarcasm was rolling down her tongue. The vampire chuckled. "And now what? Kill me, hard thing to do, and make-" she was interrupted by his laughter. She opened her eyes and glared into oblivious.

"I don't want to kill you, Stella. I don't want to get uncle mad." She furrowed her eyebrows, thinking intently on where the voice was coming from.

"Who are you?" Her voice became even more annoyed. "Stop this stupid game." She continued. In one swift motion someone attacked her, trying to push her into a tree. She was fast enough to move. Even so, the vampire still wasn't in sight. After that attack nothing could've been heard anymore. She didn't leave her guard off but she was very curious about the new acquaintance. She left, seeing as there went a few minutes and no sound came out from the woods.

"I will strike you when you least expect it." The voice mumbled evilly from the darkness of the night.

Back to the Arche residence, James was still mad about something or another while the three younger vampires sat in line on the couch. It was a little bit amusing but James had more important matters to discuss with them.

"What happened back there should not happen from now on." It was quick. Was just that? He just wanted to scold them?

"And what do you want? Let vampires kill Stella and after that, kill werewolves and oh! Why not bring Matt here so there would start a war to-" Alex got cut off by James, who pinned him to the wall. His eyes were evil looking. It was actually very scary.

"Shut your mouth for once and listen to me, Alexander. Stella won't die and the arrangement will be kept. These vampires will be hunted down but not by us." Eric walked closer to his uncle, curious.

"Then by who?" He sighed and let Alex free. "What are you hiding?" Eric's voice changed into a serious tone.

"You will find out soon enough." Those were the last words before he flashed upstairs, into his room.

Right after James left, Stella entered the mansion. She went straight to her room and closed it with a loud bang. Eric and Alex looked at each other and in the end at Nate. The Blanche noble sighed and walked on his sister's steps.

Inside, he found her tiny yet strong body, on the balcony, leaning on the railing. Her deep green eyes were calm and there was no bloodlust in them. She was just watching the moon, peacefully. It almost made Nate feel at ease too.

"What scared you so bad, Stel?" The girl simply chuckled and turned her head to watch her brother over her shoulder.

"The bloodlust starts to dissipate. I don't know why but everything that happens…all at once…it's…overwhelming." Nate walked closer to her and put a hand on her shoulder.

"What's wrong?" She sighed and shrugged.

"There's…nothing wrong." Her voice changed from soft and calm to blunt. "I'm not the soft Stella anymore, Nate. I can take care of myself." He shook his head and chuckled softly. The vampire male closed his hands in front Stella's stomach, getting her in a hug. She tensed for a moment but relaxed soon enough.


	56. Chapter 56

**Chapter 56: Third Friend, Third Victim**

The next day, Nate woke up in another room than his. He groaned when he started to remember the events from the night before. He tensed and opened his eyes, ready to see Stella in his arms, sleeping soundlessly. There was nothing beside him. He groaned again and walked into his own room and eventually, into his own bathroom.

After he got ready, he walked downstairs and saw no sign of vampire. Stella wasn't at home at all; he could feel if she would've been. Eric and Alex were nowhere in sight and James was God knows where. Even so, Nate felt at ease. He could finally relax and forget about the war outside the 'fortress.'

While Nate felt good and soon enough, back asleep, Stella went to school, surprisingly enough. It was Tuesday and she hasn't been to school for…a while. It was a weird feeling now that she knew someone out there watches her from the shadows and it was an intelligent person.

"Stella…" She didn't turn her head, recognizing the female voice. "Haven't seen you since…a few weeks ago." The vampire didn't even acknowledge the human. She was deep inside her thoughts and wasn't going to come back to reality just for some girl. "Eric, Alex and Nate haven't been here either. What's going on?" In the end, Stella had to give a response so she could get rid of the blonde.

"We've been busy with other things. It's not your business." Tracy narrowed her eyes at the girl. Something has been off with her since that day when Alex came to school too.

"Sam's funeral has been last week. You didn't come." Stella rolled her eyes, her back still facing the human, and sighed.

"What part of 'not your business' haven't you understand?" Tracy scoffed and started to walk after Stella, who made her way to the library. "Stop coming after me." Stella's eyes were fiercer than before, when she first met Tracy.

"You know, at first I thought you deserve a chance but you've been such a pain from day one." Tracy's tone was bossy, thing that Stella hated. Still, she didn't bulge. "Ana wanted to be your friend and dragged me and Sam with her. Now, Ana's dead and so is Sammy! And I have this feeling that's your entire fault." The vampire's head turned and glared over her shoulder at the human female. Her eyes were hard to control. They had the tendency to become red and her canines would grow instantly.

"I don't have to explain myself to you." For the entire way to the library and to the front door, Tracy would keep asking stupid questions. When Stella started to make her way to the street and get off the school grounds, there was something missing. The noise was gone. She turned to see if she got rid of Tracy and indeed, the human was nowhere to be seen. In the moment she turned back to the street, something fell on a nearby car. Stella walked there, slowly and widened her eyes when she saw the lifeless body of Tracy, her eyes still open, blood dropping from her head and neck. She didn't get scared but first she looked to see if it was clear around her and if there's been an anonymous viewer. There was no one. She took the dead body and flashed into the woods.


	57. Chapter 57

**Chapter 57: Tobias Bosewicht**

After the job has been completed, which meant that Tracy's body has been burnt down and thrown somewhere, Stella started to walk aimlessly through the forest. While having her eyes closed and mind cleared of any thoughts, she heard that deep, wicked chuckle again. Just, this time, the presence was clear and it didn't seem as that person wanted to hide anymore.

"Did you like my present?" Stella raised an eyebrow and remembered about the corps she had to drag into the mess. "She was too noisy. I don't like noisy people. They are annoying, aren't they Stella?" She sighed and leaned on a tree.

"I'm tired of this charade. Why don't you just come out so I can finally see who's tormenting the tormentor." The voice chuckled again and shockingly, he did come out. The man in front looked beautiful. He didn't seem a year over twenty and had that sparkle everyone could see in Stella. He had blue eyes that seemed to glint mysteriously, messy black hair that seemed to stick in every side; he also had a wide smirk, complimenting to the facial features. Overall, he was a handsome man but that didn't shake Stella at all.

"Happy now?" She narrowed her green orbs at his amused blue ones. "Don't I get a nice welcome..." He said and rolled his eyes.

"Who are you?" He fake pouted and traced his finger over his check.

"How sad. You don't even remember me." She titled her head into one side, curious. "Your uncle, Matt always had a small human boy running around him. That boy who always wanted to become his protege. But that was impossible because Matthew Gregory is hard to impress. Yet, a female vampire got his attention. You." He glared at the tinier figure and flashed way too close to her. "You are a nuisance." He wanted to push her hard, make her crash into a tree, but like always, Stella was too fast. She pinned him into a tree in just a few seconds.

"You should choose your words more wisely." The still unnamed vampire smirked smugly and turned the tables around. He was the one pinning the green eyed female. Her eyes changed in an instant in red, the glint her iris had was overwhelming, even for him. The intense gaze she held on his blue orbs was making him weak and she freed herself rather fast. She smirked seeing as he backed off, trapped in the maze of her eyes. "How come I don't remember you if you were there?" He shrugged, like the evil guy who tried to strangle her wasn't even there to begin with. The mysterious glint in his eyes was still there but it didn't have the same black passion, evilness. If Stella didn't know better, she would've sworn he was just a cool looking student.

"Tobias Bosewicht. My, my, you became one powerful vampire, haven't you?" It wasn't Tobias's voice. It was James's.

"Why are you here? This is between me and him." She glanced at the blue eyed vampire at the last word, making him scoff. From her point of view, Tobias started to act a lot like Alex. However, James's eyes narrowed into a deadly glare.

"I'm afraid I can't do that." Stella's head turned instantly to the older vampire, the air getting thick. Tobias looked between James, who was radiating with pure annoyance, and Stella, whose eyes were trying to cage the place James was standing on, her body pulsating with hatred. It seemed he didn't have much to work. She won't get back to normal anytime soon.

"Leave." Her voice was venomous. James didn't even flinch. He just continued to glare at her.

"No." The simple answer got Stella on fire. She launched at him, but James was far more trained than she would ever be. He was a noble, an old one at that. "Tobias," The much younger vampire turned his attention on the Arche noble. "Get rid of the vampires around town." The vampire raised an eyebrow and chuckled.

"I don't remember becoming your slave, Arche. Know your place." His words almost made Stella chuckle. Almost being the key word. That boy had guts. James was ready to attack Tobias when Stella came between.

"If he is my uncle's protégé then you won't touch him. What's linked to the Gregory family is kept safe from outsiders." She smirked weirdly to Tobias over her shoulder, her red eyes full with something indecipherable. "He can be hurt and tortured just by the family members." Even if he wasn't scared at all, Tobias did take a step back. Her tone, which was between amused and evil, got to him. She was hinting that if she wanted, Matt wouldn't be mad if she would torture him.

"I don't care." James said through greeted teeth. "There are hundreds of vampires that want you dead and you're here with him instead of the Arche residence…what's inside your head?" The tone was unbelievably calm. Anyway, Tobias could feel the presence of more vampires. They were weak but they were at least ten.

"There are a few here. As proud as I am, I think you should accept the situation and go back into the house. Matt doesn't want you dead…" He was ready to say something more but caught himself. Stella's eyes were hard but soon enough calmed a little and flashed away, leaving Tobias and James alone, glaring at each other.

"What are you doing here?" Tobias chuckled, his evil self coming back to life.

"Do you really think Matt would leave all these on her shoulders? Or even worse, trust you? You of all vampires in the world?" He started to trail around James. "No. There are so few people he trusts and you, Arche, aren't one of them."

"So he sent an inexperienced child on the field?" Tobias didn't react as James would've thought. The young boy actually started to laugh.

"Nice joke. Got me there. But I am not inexperienced. We might say I'm at the same level Nathan is. Powerful enough to influence Stella." James started to laugh too.

"He doesn't have that power. No one can influence Stella." Tobias got in front of the Arche and smirked.

"Wanna bet?"


	58. Chapter 58

**Chapter 58: The Puppet Master**

Meanwhile, Stella didn't go home. No, she went to get a normal, full of alcohol drink like any normal teenager with troubles.

"Double shot. No, actually, give me the whole bottle." The bartender looked amused at her.

"Aren't you a lady…" She turned her head faster than she could breathe. That wasn't the bartender's voice. It was coming from behind her, having that playful but at the same time, evil tone. She ignored him completely and took a long sip from her bottle.

"Why are you following me?" He grinned innocently and commanded a drink.

"Going to the bar for a drink is not called following. If I find you here, that's a called coincidence." He took care to put accent on the last word. Stella rolled her eyes and walked away, Tobias right on her tail. She saw him smirking from the corner of her eye but didn't stop to yell at him. She continued her way to the bathroom. Inside, when Tobias entered, the female wasn't in sight. That, until he found himself face first on the wall, his hands in a tight grip on his back.

"Aren't you a puppy…" The male sighed and tried to turn his head so he could see Stella's expression.

"Ain't you a smug bitch?" Her eyes weren't red, it was obvious she was just messing with him, entertain herself. She pushed him harder into the wall, making him cringe at the pressure.

"You tempt me so much to torture you. What would you like? The Chinese Drop? Or, maybe something original?" She chuckled darkly. He couldn't say he was scared but that girl was completely insane. "You're a twat, you know that." She left him go and backed off a little, crossing her hands in front her chest. He straightened himself up and rubbed his wrist.

"I don't know who's worse. You or Matt." She rolled her eyes and sat there, awaiting something. "You want me to tell you why I am here, right?"

"No. I want you to tell me everything you know about Matt." At first, Tobias thought she was joking, but her hard stare convinced him otherwise.

"You're not joking…" It was more like an observation. Stella rolled her eyes again, annoyed.

"Are you going to give me the information or do I have to put a werewolf on you to get it out?" She was losing her patience. Tobias didn't seem too affected by her words even if he knew she might as well do it without remorse. "Well?" When she saw he wasn't even moving she flashed out of there.

"Great. Now I have to look out for full moons." He sighed and left the bathroom too, a little troubled.

Now, Tobias wasn't exactly the only vampire with problems. Lately, Alex and Eric weren't fighting anymore, the subject not being present most of the time. Anyway, they were head over heels into the problem with vampires that wanted to kill Stella.

"I can't just stay here and do nothing!" It wasn't just what the youngest vampire exclaimed. He was getting bored. "I don't care what James says, I'm old enough to take my own risks." With that, he was out of there. Eric sighed and let himself fall on the couch. When Nate got down, finally getting up from the bed, he had messy hair and he was rubbing his eyes. He looked like a kid who just woke up, looking for his mommy.

"Your mommy's not here, Nathan." Eric's tone got Nate to laugh sarcastically.

"I'm not looking for mommy. One died and one left. I knew you're the only one here." Eric chuckled and watched how Nate groggily made his way towards the couch. "Ehe." That sound he made while landing on the couch, like an old man whose back was hurt, amused Eric.

"Have you finished?" Nate chuckled and nodded.

"We both know that Stella's behavior changed slightly since she became…the real Stella." Eric nodded. "She became aware of the danger that follows her everywhere." Eric nodded again. " James said something about someone taking care of the weaklings that came after her."

"Yes. And he was right. Someone is taking care of them. There's been silent for a while."

"I believe that werewolves are the ones getting rid of the vampires." Eric's eyes widened, those blue orbs getting bigger than they already were. "At first I thought it's someone else or maybe him and…dad." The last word came a little forced. "They are implied into that too but they're not the only ones."

"We should-" Eric couldn't even finish his line because Nate flashed away. "I'm stuck with idiots." He sighed and leaned back on the couch, going back to watching TV.

Nathan had already a plan formed in his head for a while and it was just about the time he should put it in action. The first place he went to was the big house he first seen when there's been a party a long time ago. The boy he was looking for was the one who responded. One eyebrow raised and stoic like always, the green eyed werewolf stood there watching Nate.

"Can we talk?" Austin started to chuckle but walked back into the house, the door opened for Nate to enter.

Inside, Austin took a seat at the nearest table and Nate stood still, his eyes trailing around the room.

"What's there to talk?" The vampire's eyes turned back to the wolf and sighed.

"Are werewolves killing the vampires that came after Stella? We haven't been attacked in a while." Austin chuckled and leaned back on the chair.

"You might not know but that's been taken care of by James Arche." Nate raised an eyebrow, curious.

"Why?" Austin sat up and walked towards the immortal. "What's James hiding?"

"I was over at Dana's…" Nate eyes quirked up. Austin chuckled at his expression. "Dana is not a werewolf. I know you liked her but I thought it was just for pure amusement…?" It was supposed to sound as an observation but it didn't. It was more of a question. Nate narrowed his eyes at Austin. However, the young boy continued. "She's a vampire slayer, as well as her mother. They actually…go out together." Austin made a freaked out face but it was nothing compared to Nate's face. His eyes were wide, ready to pop out, his mouth was opened in a 'o' shape. "Anyway…"

_Austin was over at Dana's, making homework together but actually, the real reason was to be around the legend. Jerry was most of the time in his room and when Austin would want to go talk to him, Billie or Dana would say he's busy or he's asleep. However, in that particularly day, Billie was tense and Dana didn't seem too relaxed either._

"_What's up with you and your mother?" Dana's response was short._

"_Nothing." And also the tone was blank yet there was something behind that. Austin chose to drop the subject as he knew both females were vampire slayers and maybe they were just tired of killing the vampires around town. That thought changed fast when he heard a knock on the door and soon enough, a familiar voice. It was James Arche. The two disappeared in Jerry's room and Austin was dying to know what was happening so he got up and out of the room with the same old line._

"_I've gotta go to the bathroom." Dana didn't comment. She knew where he will actually go and it wasn't as if she cared much. It was the time for him to get more implicated in these things._

_Inside Jerry's room, the so named werewolf and Billie were waiting to hear what James was going to say. Austin stood in the shadows, trying not to get noticed._

"_I want you to get rid of the weaklings." His voice was blank, no emotion whatsoever._

"_And what do you take us as, James? Your toys?" James narrowed his eyes at Jerry and smirked._

"_Not mine. Matt's." The answer got the wolf to growl loudly. "Matt is Stella and Nate's only family alive. Matt wants Stella to become a true vampire but not create a disaster. He told you to come here so someone would get rid of the low level vampires. You two better get to work or I will do it my way and it won't be nice."_

"_Werewolves aren't allowed to kill vampires even if it's about Stella and Matt." Jerry's tone was a hint that he was getting impatient. "I won't just go over and kill whatever there is. Not even for Matt. I have been sent here to keep an eye on the situation."_

"_And do nothing? I'm sure Matt sent someone else to keep an eye on Stella. I felt his presence! Tobias has been around the city for a while now and just watched everything happen and did nothing. He's supposed to just watch. You are not." Jerry got up and walked closer to James, his eyes dilating slightly._

"_Who are you to tell me that? It's my problem what I have to do and what not. Tobias is just a kid. His job is not to watch Stella." James scoffed._

"_And what's his job then?" Jerry's glare deepened._

"_Matt knows how dangerous Stella can get-"_

"_But she's not! We both saw how Stella started to calm down and think before killing. She knows what she's doing." Billie sighed seeing as the two species were getting fired up._

"_I won't kill them! I won't just simply walk over the agreement and kill because there's someone important to Matt!"_

"_Matt created the agreement, wolf!" Jerry growled even louder than before and James's canines were ready to pop out too. "Get rid of the weaklings or I will personally do it." With that, James flashed out of the doors. Jerry growled and being as furious as he got, he needed to get everything out so he jumped out the window and went for a quick sprint into the forest. Billie remained alone in the room or that's what she thought._

"_Dana! Sweetie I believe we should get to work and even call a few other friends!" Austin couldn't even move. He was shocked._

"James acted like that?" Nate started to chuckle. He never imagined someone as playful as James would have such a state of angst.

"Yes. It seems there's a guy, Tobias, that Matt sent here for something. Anyway, it seems no one Matt ordered to come to Firehole is here to protect Stella. They're here just to witness it." Nate sighed and groaned.

"Great. It's like he's playing with us. The puppet master…." He mumbled, getting his adrenaline up. He started to walk around, rubbing his temples. "Who's Tobias?" Austin shrugged. "I want you to do a favor for me." Austin's expression was priceless. He was half amused half surprised.

"Alright. What do you want me to do?"


	59. Chapter 59

**Chapter 60: On No's **

Back to Stella, she had a few difficulties with the vampires. The fact that there seemed to get more and more was the main reason. She was fighting with too many at once and there were some that were coming from behind. She had to move constantly and it wouldn't be much more until she would lose her stamina and the adrenaline will be gone. She didn't want to think about that so she chose to fight and fight and she will find a way to get rid of them while still getting out from angry vampires.

"There are too many…" She mumbled while launching to a vampire and at the same time throwing another one into the tree.

"Where's the power so many have talked about?" One vampire chose to taunt her, make her vulnerable. She growled and punched pretty hard that one. But the others got the hint and started to talk, all at once. Voices from all around her were taunting her, were trying to get her to simply give up. But they were forgetting something.

"Stop talking…" She couldn't block the voices out so she just bent down, head between hands. She was losing it, badly. The control she mastered in those days was going to fade away. Her blood was boiling inside her body; she could hear heart beats into her ears. The voices weren't as clear as before, something else was happening inside her. Something that everyone was afraid of, even Matt.

Her eyes were stinging; she could feel blood dripping from them; she couldn't hear a thing and her nails just grew longer; her fangs were even sharper. The vampires were smirking proudly. They thought that was it. They will kill her and the agreement will instantly drop. They were so wrong.

It got silent. Stella's body wasn't trembling anymore. She wasn't even moving. In that silence they heard one ferocious growl. It made the vampires back off slightly and tremble in fear. In just one swift motion four vampires dropped dead. There wasn't a sound but there was a blur that seemed to go from one side to another, leaving dead bodies behind. The weaklings started to run, trying to save themselves but it was too late. One of them had the guts to look into her eyes and everything that he could see were those fiery red eyes that seemed to be death itself. She was worse than before.

When Stella's situation became even worse than it already was, everyone felt it. Alex was on his way to the Arche's when he stopped abruptly and glanced to the forest, eyes wide in fear and worry. Eric was watching TV when he flashed out the door and on the porch. He could hear the raspy sounds of death approaching. Nate was the worst. He was ready to drink his shot when the glass fell down. His blood was boiling, exactly like Stella's, his eyes reddened and his body started reacting to the adrenaline he started to feel. Austin looked worried to the noble.

"What's happening?" He couldn't even talk. His face rose to Austin's and that's when he realized.

Tobias was into a restaurant, drinking coffee and eating dessert when he felt it. He was horrified even if it didn't look like it at all. His face turned to the window.

"Oh no..." Those were instead the words everyone feared the most. _Oh no._


	60. Chapter 60

**Chapter 61: Uncomfortable Situation**

The next hour was horrible. The entire group was over Adrian's. They thought the Arche mansion would be the first place Stella would go so they chose the next best place. When they arrived there, Adrian already had the place prepared. The tables were filled with weapons and the fridge was full with blood. He knew he will have to deal with angry, dangerous vampires. Except the usual people: Eric, Alex and Nate, there came also James, who was furious.

"I can't believe it! She's…she'd lost it! Completely!" Alex was the one who was yelling since he first put leg into the house. Eric was worried as hell and he wouldn't even flinch in that chair he stood since he arrived and Nate was in terrible condition. Adrian saw that immediately and invited him to the kitchen.

"You have to be tough and resist it, Nate." The poor man didn't even know what to do. The entire time he hadn't heard from his 'kids' he was still stressed because there were vampires coming constantly, looking for trouble. He had rough nights and over all that, it came this.

"It hurts. She's…getting me crazy." He could feel what his sister was and it was too much. He was angry but at the same time, sad. He wanted to kill and wanted to see blood dripping from his victims. He wanted to see and provoke chaos, massacres! It was overwhelming. He growled and Adrian backed off when the vampire started to push things away from his sight. Everything on the kitchen table was on the floor or smashed somewhere around. "She's…so powerful. She has this need to see blood and- God!" He grabbed his chest. When James entered the kitchen, he punched Nate hard. It didn't calm him down at all, it tempted him to be even worse. Nathan yelled bloody murderer when he felt his stomach on fire. That made him unconscious. Jerry turned with a death glare to the man that used the weapon on Nate.

"Get him upstairs and chain him. It might get even worse." Adrian nodded and called Alex to help him. The wolf didn't even have time to blink when James pushed him hard into the wall, strangling him.

"I told you to get rid of the vampires." He hissed into Jerry's face. The werewolf didn't even flinch.

"It wasn't my business. No one knew this will happen." James scoffed and threw the wolf into another wall.

"I knew! Everything is your fault." That was all before the old Arche flashed upstairs.

While everyone was scared or terrified, Dana heard a knock at the door. She got up, warily, and opened the door. There was a guy that didn't seem older than Alex and he didn't look happy at all. He pushed Dana slightly and made his way inside.

"Who are you?" Eric was the first to react, getting in front of him. Tobias didn't react at all.

"It's none of your business." Eric growled, making Tobias smirk and even chuckle darkly. "How's Nathan?" He asked the older slayer who was descending the stairs. Adrian looked curious between Tobias and Eric.

"He's…fine for now. Who's him?" He asked Eric. The Arche noble rolled his eyes, annoyed. Tobias didn't have a problem with going to Adrian and pointing to the kitchen. Not long after, Jerry came downstairs and went in the kitchen too. When he saw Tobias he wasn't as surprised as he should've been.

"I talked with dad…I mean Matt." Adrian was the one shocked when he heard who that vampire was. "He's not happy at all, Jerry. He said he gave you strict orders." The werewolf glared at the younger looking boy.

"He never told me to kill vampires. He just wanted me here to keep the werewolves away." Adrian looked bewildered between the two.

"Why would be werewolves here?" He sighed and leaned on the table.

"Matt heard too that werewolves might strike. The vampires came here for a reason and that was destroying the agreement. Vampires are too proud for their safety." Tobias glared daggers to him. "There were werewolves that actually wanted to come and supposedly help but that just raised more questions. Being here, they got the hint that they should stay out of this." Tobias scoffed.

"You've been sent here just for that? I remember Matt saying something about keeping Stella safe." Jerry glared.

"I did. I instructed the slayer in Firehole where to go and who to kill." The young immortal rolled his eyes.

"Why are you here?" Adriana asked the youngster curious.

"I was supposed to keep Stella under control. Alex and Eric were too much. They were from her past, characters that had a big impact on her life. I didn't. But like always, she couldn't stay still for a second and I couldn't keep up with her." He sighed, desperately and fell on a chair.

"You both failed." The three pairs of eyes turned to the door and they cowered up instantly. The immense pressure of that man's presence was huge. Eric was shocked, no, everyone was. Alex flashed down too and seemed to back off slightly when he saw the man. Tobias gulped and straightened himself out.

"I-" He got interrupted by a big wave of energy. It threw him so hard that he went through the wall and on the table in the living. Dana and Austin flinched and jumped when the corps landed in front of them. Unfortunately for Tobias, he got on the wrong table, getting a wooden stake through his side. He groaned. Back into the kitchen, Jerry got himself flying into the fridge. Adrian was watching everything, mouth opened. James got the man's attention without making a fuss.

"So you're here…making such an appearance. It's been a while." Everyone's eyes trailed the noble looking man. He looked really good, like taken from a story. His presence was honorable and it seemed that even his deep voice had something that silenced everyone. About his looks, Billie and Dana had their eyes glued to him. He was a fit man and the clothes he was wearing were so good on him.


	61. Chapter 61

**Chapter 62: Matt is in the House**

"So you're here…making such an appearance. It's been a while." Everyone's eyes trailed the noble looking man. He looked really good, like taken from a story. His presence was honorable and it seemed that even his deep voice had something that silenced everyone. About his looks, Billie and Dana had their eyes glued to him. He was a fit man and the clothes he was wearing were so good on him.

"Matt…" When Alex pronounced his name, everything became logical. The oldest vampire alive, the one who made the agreement, the most dangerous vampire, Stella's uncle. "If you're here…it means it's bad. Very bad." Matt nodded.

"She will be hard to catch. She needs something big to get back to normal." His eyes trailed over the bodies in the room and narrowed his eyes. "Where is Nathan?" His heavy British accent made his voice seem compelling. Alex was the one to respond.

"He's in his room. He's…not himself." Matt gave one glance around the room and flashed upstairs. He opened the door slowly and walked in. Nate was still unconscious but the Gregory vampire knew very well how he will act when he will wake up.

"What will happen now?" Alex asked from the top of the stairs. Matt sighed.

"Until Stella won't regain control, Nathan will be in this state." He sighed and walked to the window. "She will either get killed or, through a miracle, stop on her own." Alex sighed and grabbed a hand through his hair. It was going to be one hell of a fight to get Stella back to normal.

That night, Matt stood in his own bedroom, at Adrian's, thinking. Downstairs, there was silence. Nate was still out in his own room, Eric and Alex were trying hard to relax for at least a few minutes and James was with Adrian, talking. Tobias wasn't feeling too well. He got thrown on a wooden stake. That stung as hell.

"What should we do now?" Dana was the one to ask. Tobias glanced at her, making her move uncomfortable. His eyes were exactly the same as Matt's.

"We will fight, obviously. It's either her or everyone. I bet she already killed the vampires around Firehole and she's gone on a killing rampage." Alex furrowed his eyebrows, thinking.

"If Nate is unconscious, that means something made Stella relax. They have a powerful bond." Tobias rolled his eyes.

"Or maybe it was too much and he fainted. That's how organisms work." Alex glared to the smart ass.

"Actually…Alex might be right." James commented, entering the room, even though there was a huge hole into the wall that separated the kitchen and the living. "Stella is most likely resting. It's been a big blow for her. I'm almost sure she is in the place she feels the safest." Eric's eyes widened.

"The old Blanche house." Alex turned shocked to Eric.

"It's still up?" The Arche noble nodded.

"It has always been. I just…didn't think she will like to go back there. It's in the same state as the day she left." Alex turned to James, both thinking the same thing.

In his room, Matt was watching TV. In just one day, Stella killed ten people and the police found the dead bodies of other fifteen in the forest. Those were surely vampires but still…Matt couldn't believe he had to get involved personally. While he was in his own world, he heard something being thrown in the window. He walked over to see blood. His eyes trailed down to see a body near the house. The body must have had dropped down. His eyes trailed back up and to the branch of a near tree. There was another body thrown. He didn't seem surprised but didn't seem happy either.

"Don't make me kill you, Stella." Those words were spoken in such a deadly tone that it could've sent chills down anybody's spine.


	62. Chapter 62

**Chapter 63: Wanna Bet?**

As the good side was catching up on facts about the past and the present, in the woods, somewhere deep inside, far from the village was the Blanche mansion. The windows were a dark grey, dust was covering the entire building, but even if the condition didn't look too good, the Victorian house was still standing proudly, having that majesty charm. Inside, the old furniture was rusty and even broken but the memories were still there; when Stella killed her parents, when she killed Chris, when Nate killed Rebecca blaming it on a wolf. It was all still there.

In the silence of the Blanche mansion, steps were walking towards the living room. There she stood, in her glory, watching with blank eyes the surroundings. Her green icy orbs trailed over every little piece of the room, stopping in the end on the black and old piano in the corner. She could remember the times when she and Alex were playing on it. He used to play beautiful music, pieces she could as well imitate easily but never did. Alex was the only person, the only human she ever cared about but he left, faded away. He was still just a memory, everyone was. Stella walked slowly towards the big glassy window from the center of the wall and watched outside. Her eyes looked so calm, she looked even normal but she wasn't. There was going to be a fight, she could feel it, and she was sure no one, absolutely no one will survive her wrath.

While everybody was still blocked in the shock or making plans, Tobias chose to tip toe out of Adrian's and walked at a normal pace to the old Blanche mansion. On the way there he thought about what he will do once he's face to face with Stella. Millions of ideas and questions rose in his mind but once he had seen himself in front the house, it faded away. Every word he planned to say, every action simply dissipated. He gulped and closed his eyes, trying to calm himself down. While still repeating that action, he heard the front door opening. His eyes opened wide and his body froze. Stella didn't even acknowledge him. She just walked past him without a care, but she let her arm touch his while doing so. That minuscule action sent chills down his spine. When the moment finished, Tobias turned around, looking at the powerful vampire.

"Stella…" She didn't say a word. "Matt came here…" He said fast. That seemed to attract her attention. She stopped, just for a moment, waiting for the end of the sentence. "Matt is here and he's willing to kill you if you don't stop now." Stella just smirked, even though Tobias couldn't see that.

"Wanna bet?" the calm and cold tone of her voice, the expressionless movements, her words got Tobias still again. She held so much power over him just by simply being there. It was consuming, overwhelming. He felt weak, unimportant, a simple boy who looks up to someone better than everybody. It was intense. While thinking about that, Tobias didn't catch Stella turning her head slightly over her shoulder to give a satanic smirk, her eyes a deep red. He just heard the wind when she suddenly flashed out of there.


	63. Chapter 63

**Chapter 64: Satisfaction**

One house, one unfortunate house that a family called home became hell. It wasn't built somewhere near the forest, it was actually quite close to the police station. She didn't care. Inside the house, in the dark, noises of sucking were drowning into the silence. Blood was covering the entire floor of the hall and kitchen, the lifeless body of a woman was lying on the ground, her eyes still opened, in the position of a watcher. Why the female was positioned that way? Because there was a sadistic vampire who wanted to feel the dead eyes watching her suck the life out of the female's husband, from the death.

"Mommy?" When Stella heard the small, innocent voice, her head rose instantly. In front of her, on the stairs, was a young girl who didn't seem to be older than 5 years old. She looked so fragile, with those blue eyes that were filled with curiousness and innocence and with those blonde locks. She seemed taken out of a children story with princesses and angels. There was just one problem with all that: there was no angel around, but a demon. Stella's eyes didn't change colors or even the intense gaze they held. However, she got up and walked slowly to the child, wiping the blood off her face with her hand. When the two were one in front the other, the child simply looked up to the woman.

"Are mommy and daddy ok?" Stella restrained a scoff. That pureness of a child was something she went through once upon a time and now she regretted it. Pure, people aren't pure, vampires or humans. Children are the definition of purity and happiness, but for how long? Until the said kid turns into an adult and becomes just a common face into the crowd?

"You should go to bed." Stella trailed her eyes off the child and walked past her.

"But.." The female vampire wasn't in the mood for that but her twisted mind had already got an idea.

The noble turned to the young girl and with a fake half hearted smile, grabbed the child's small hand and walked her to the bed. Once put in it and ready to be tucked, Stella grabbed the teddy bear that was lying on the ground near the bed. She took her time to look at it with expressionless eyes and then gave it to the girl.

"When you will wake up, you will meet mommy and daddy." The girl seemed happy with Stella's affirmation. The older woman tucked the kid and also, grabbed the unused pillow from the bed. Her eyes trailed to the blonde and with the most unfazed face, she pushed it on the kid's face. There was no fight, no real struggle and definitely no pity. The girl stopped breathing and the only feeling that Stella felt was one of utter satisfaction.

The next day, Stella's action was all over the news. Matt didn't even come out of his room and Nate was guarded by James. The non-vampire and unrelated creatures in the house left, by Matt's orders. Adrian was left with dangerous bloodsuckers who tensed just at a simple question.

"Do you think he will be the same when he wakes up?" Eric glanced from his book to Alex, who was watching on the window. Outside were just dark clouds, signaling an atmosphere of death, one that was to come soon enough.

"I'm not very concerned about Nate as I am about Stella. She is the key here." Alex sighed and crossed his arms in front his chest.

"What about her, then? Will she be the same?" This time, Eric was the one to sigh. He didn't know what to expect from but he had a feeling that even if she would regain her self control, things will be different than before, no matter what century.

"I wouldn't rely on this thought." Both boys raised their heads and looked to the door. There was Matt, finally out of his little comfort zone. There was a little pause before continuing, time when he stared intently at Nate's sleeping face. He looked peaceful…at least for now. "When he will wake up…that's the signal that we have to interfere…" Alex furrowed his eyebrows.

"What…" Matt glanced warily at him. "You mean we have to actually…but she's your family! No…let me rephrase it…she's insanely strong. How-" Alex got interrupted by a simple sharp object who flew past him, just a few millimeters missing from getting his pretty face cut.

"I wouldn't comment if I were you, Alexander." The tone Matt used was the exactly same tone as Stella's. Powerful, hissed, deathly. But…there wasn't the same thirst of blood in his eyes. He had so much self restraint that amazed each vampire alive.

Matt looked warily to Alex, fact that made the younger vampire shut instantly.

"What do you think she's doing now?" asked Eric, letting his book on the nearest coffee table.

Tobias walked in just in time to hear the question. He bent his head down, remembering his meeting with Stella.


	64. Chapter 64

**Chapter 65: Waking Time**

Meanwhile, Stella didn't seem to have a problem in the world. Except the vampire-ish surroundings, which meant dead bodies thrown through the living room and the trail of corpses that lead to her room; the blood covering the walls of the first level of the house, everything was normal. There were a lot of dead vampire bodies and also humans. Inside her room, though, Stella wasn't drinking anyone's blood. No, she was doing something more entertaining: torture: her favorite hobby.

"Where are the rest of the weaklings?" The victim, who was pushed on the couch, with Stella between his legs, his head, turned to 90 degrees and his hands pulled on either side of the couch and wrapped together with a chain, his chest was covered in still bleeding wounds. He didn't respond, which meant a ticket just go for death.

"The clock is ticking, your time is dropping." Her eyes widened in a scary way and a smirk formed on her lips. "Tick" she gestured with her finger to the right. "Tock" To the left. "Tick" This time her finger came dangerously close to his heart. When she got bored of not cooperating vampires, she glared and the smirk became a frown. "Tock" she grabbed his heart and threw it like it was nothing. As it wasn't enough, she started to lick the blood from her fingers while watching the fearful expression on the dead vampire's face.

Behind her, in a robotic way walked a young vampire female. She seemed as if she was controlled.

"There is a g-gentleman that w-wants to speak w-with you, m-miss." Stella's reaction was none. "He said his n-name is A-Alexander Smith." In an instant, her head turned with a blank expression.

"I'm not in the best mood right now. Tell him to leave." The weaker vampire gulped.

"B-but-" Stella's eyes turned red in just a second and the other female gulped again. "Alright" she was ready to go back downstairs when she collided with a manly body. She looked up and met two amazing blue eyes. Her mouth opened slightly and her eyes were glued to the man. He trailed his eyes to hers and narrowed them, making the young vampire gasp and run out. After the door was closed, Alex couldn't take his eyes off Stella's back. He didn't seem as secure as a few moments ago, about what he was doing. Inside his head, he was still asking himself what the hell he was doing. Just when he was ready to speak, Stella pushed him from wall to dresser and eventually on the bed. She hovered over him and he couldn't really deny the desire and lust.

After the fire finally burnt out, Alex realized what he had done.

"I can't believe you fooled me into it...again." This time, Stella didn't get up from the bed. She turned onto one side and glanced up to him. Their eyes met and for Alex, she looked so innocent and beautiful in that moment, dare to say, even human.

"I didn't tell you to come here. You waltzed inside my house without being invited." He sighed. She was right. But after Eric's question, he just felt the need to come and see her.

"I...You should stop, Stella." Her eyes changed emotions instantly. She got on her bottom and glared at the wall.

"Leave." Alex's eyes widened and narrowed soon enough.

"I don't-" She pinned him down again and glared fiery into his already changed red eyes.

"Leave now." He glared right back and tried to change the position they were in, trying to make her the one pinned down. Too bad she was too powerful. Stella's patience was growing thicker as she slammed him into the door and on the hall. Poor Alex was half naked. She threw his clothes on the window and slammed the door closed.

Alex sighed and flashed to get his clothes and eventually, flashed back to Adrian's. Stella was somewhere between furious and disappointed. She changed into comfortable clothes and flashed into the woods. She got pretty far and deep when she finally chose to stop. She had her eyes closed when someone flashed and slammed her into the tree. She opened her eyes to face dangerous crimson eyes. They were full of hatred, though there was something else too. He got a good grip on her neck and even rose her off the ground.

"Matthew, what a surprise..." The tone was one of boredom. His narrowed his eyes gripping her neck harder. She didn't make any sign of discomfort. "You don't scare me."

"You are just a kid next to me, Stella. Don't forget who is older." She made a noise that sounded a lot like scoffing. In a blink of an eye, she sent him flying a few steps away. Matt's mood darkened instantly, same with Stella. The dark auras around them could've been seen. It was so intense, the air around thickened.

"If you are so powerful, why didn't you stop me from killing my parents?" Her tone was hissed. She wasn't mad yet so she still had little bit of control.

"That's who you have to be. I knew from the beginning that you are cursed." She actually snorted at his comment.

"Cursed? This isn't a curse, uncle. It's evil, I am the worse nightmare someone can ever have. I am a monster, the devil." Her eyes redden slowly from the sides to the center. "And you know what?" In the next second, Stella slammed into Matt but he was quicker and got out of the way. She stopped and turned with a smirk. "You can't stop me."

Matt stopped and his muscles relaxed.

"You're right. I can't stop you." He flashed in front of her and slammed her fast. She didn't have time to react so the only thing she has done was being left with a bit of the fabric of his shirt. "But you will stop." He wasn't there anymore but that just angered Stella even more. She growled while her eyes changed slowly back to green.

There's gone just a small amount of time, somewhere around an hour or two. It was already getting dark and in the silence of the forest, Stella was on the ground, her back leaning on a tree, the piece of fabric still in her hand. It was also getting cold. She blinked and flashed back home.

It was late at night when Stella found herself in the living room, on the couch in front of the fireplace. The light from the fire made her eyes look just so much amazing. The flames were mirrored into her orbs. Something else that was mirrored was the piece of fabric.

She was looking at it, contemplating it, turning and folding it in her hand until she abruptly stopped. Her eyes were staring intently at it, even when she set it on fire. She seemed expressionless but in her eyes could've been seen the hurt and the struggle.

When Stella closed her eyes, relaxing her muscles, Nathan's eyes opened wide. He reacted as if he just woke up from a nightmare. His eyes changed to red, his fangs popped out and he hissed. Like a predator, he trailed his eyes around the room. He was alone for the first time since he fainted.


	65. Chapter 65

**Chapter 66: Sad Piano Song**

Downstairs, the only ones in the living room were Adrian and Matt, who was annoyed by his encounter with his niece.

"Are you actually going to kill her?" Matt's dark orbs rose to the slayer. Adrian felt the pressure his gaze had but he didn't let it show. However, Matt's reaction seemed to change to 180 degrees. He chuckled, which seemed to vibrate the whole room.

"Do I give you that impression? You've been her father for so long; you should realize her condition is temporary." Adrian narrowed his eyes.

"That's completely different. Stella never acted like this before. She was so…normal and maybe too pure." Matt snorted and compressed his laughter.

"Yeah, right. Stella has always been anything but innocent. Just looking into her eyes and you see the evil glint and the pressure of her aura." He paused and smirked. "She is one true Gregory."

"What about-" Matt interrupted Adrian by getting up from the chair.

"Listen clearly, Adrian. This isn't something uncommon. She stopped once, she will stop again. That's just a matter of-"Matt stopped abruptly, his muscles tensing. He glanced to the stairs, his eyes back to cold. "Get Tobias." Adrian raised an eyebrow, not understanding. "Tell him to take Alex and Eric and prepare to go to the Blanche mansion."

"Why?" Both men heard a deep, loud growl coming from upstairs. Adrian's breathe stopped for a moment. In that time, a flash came down the stairs, Matt flashing right in front of it. Adrian was shocked to see who was that and in what condition he was. "Nathan…" The Noble stared with a deadly gaze into Matt's eyes and punched him hard, making the older vampire fly out the house, breaking the wall. After that blow, Nate flashed away, into the forest.

After the noises heard from downstairs, Eric and Tobias ran to see what happened. Eric was the first to see the big hole into the wall. His eyes trailed to Adrian who was standing in the middle of the room, still surprised, staring into space.

"Adrian…what happened?" The vampire slayer didn't say anything. Tobias's eyes widened and made a run for Nate's room.

"The older brother ran to his sister." He trailed while coming back. He didn't seem to be affected. However, Eric was.

After Tobias got his father back into the house, Adrian called everybody over.

"He did what?" Alex was surprised, same with James, however the old Arche wasn't overreacting. "But…can't you see that history repeats itself?" He asked exasperated the oldest Gregory.

"Then we should be able to know what will happen next…" Trailed James with superiority. Matt didn't seem to be listening what they were talking. He simply rose from his chair and walked into his room.

At the old Blanche mansion, Stella was calmly playing piano. A beautiful and melancholic song was wrapping the entire house into a depressing mood. The wind blew through the window, making the curtains behind the vampire move. When she stopped playing, her eyes opened and turned her head to the window.

"Are you done?" On the other side of hers, Nate was hungrily sucking a corpse out of blood. There were a few more around him, lying with their eyes closed forever. The male threw the dead body near the others after he finished and licked his lips.

"I feel much better." Nate said and rubbed his neck. After that, he walked closer to his sister and leaned on the piano. "What do you want me to do?" He was expecting just one word and he will go on a killing rampage, exactly like his sister when she lost control.

"Wait." Her word however made the older vampire pout. "They should come to us soon enough. They have waited enough. And when they'll arrive…" Nate smirked and narrowed his eyes at the scenery before him.

"The fun will begin." Stella closed her eyes and went back to playing piano. Nate looked warily to his sister, things in his mind being twisted in that moment but he decided to shut his mouth, for his own safety.


	66. Chapter 66

**Chapter 67: First Stage**

Inside Adrian's house, Tobias was up with Alex and his father in Matt's room, attending to his pride injuries. Downstairs however, James and Jerry were standing on different sides of the room while Adrian had a small talk with Billie.

"I don't want to tell Austin that he has to fight a friend." The male slayer was worried. He didn't want Austin to see what he had seen on Nate's face. That urge to kill, those devious red eyes he once fought against every night. Those green eyes the siblings had were now covered with that crimson red, making their faces look the exactly opposite of what they once were. No innocence, no feeling at all. They were stoic, bloody, venomous, evil; they were expressing one thing and that was death. Adding to that, the aura Stella had around her was immense and unbearable for even Alex or Eric. "I can't believe she has so much anger in her." Billie looked solemnly at the man on the chair. His hair was messy, his eyes were sore; in one word he was tired. She walked over him and patted his back motherly.

"You didn't know she will become that. She didn't give any sign of-"He stopped her by grabbing her hand. Billie looked quite perplexed by his gesture.

"No. Stella and Nate have always been different. I tried to make them part of the society we belong to but they couldn't get used to it because the world they're coming from is so different, so dark. They never saw the bright in the world and in people, even if they tried. Nate renounced rather easily and I knew Stella will get sick of it at some point too." He sighed and sat up. "I should've never forgotten who I was and what my mission was." Billie raised an eyebrow and sat in his place.

"So what you're saying is that you should've seen these two as animals-no-mission. You were the key holder of their cage. Well I do believe they would've gone crazy long ago if you were to behave differently." Her eyes softened. "You have been there for them even when one of them would get in trouble. You've been a father. I don't see what's bad with that. You should hold no regrets." Their eyes crossed paths and seeing the truthfulness in her big round eyes, he smiled.

While Adrian learned that he shouldn't have regrets when coming to the Blanche/Gregory siblings, the atmosphere in the living room was on edge.

"I told you that you should keep an eye on her but noo! You didn't want to get involved." The older Arche was pissed as hell. He knew it will come to that but not once he imagined he will have to live through it.

"You annoying sucker. Do you actually blame me? You didn't help either. You're no good at practicing what you say. You're just bragging." In the next second, James had Jerry by the throat, his fangs dangerously close to the werewolf's neck. "I dare you to bite me, vampire." The way he spelled the last word was enough for James to snap. However, the werewolf wasn't famous for nothing. He slammed James into the opposite wall and growled.

"You're destroying my house!" Poor Adrian was insignificant for the two elders. He sighed, knowing he can't stop them, and went up to his room, trying to get at least an hour of peaceful sleep.

"It's your fault!" They were blaming one another continuously. It wasn't like they didn't imagine what was to happen but they just couldn't get over the fact that indeed it happened.

"That is enough. No one is to blame about Stella and Nathan's condition. This is their life. Past, present and future, a curse that no one can destroy. When a vampire has too much power, he's considerate dangerous for his specie and for others. Cameron Arche knew that and he held the curse in place. However, Stella went through this process called're-inventing' herself. Adrian helped her invent feelings and a new life." Matt trailed while walking down the stairs with Tobias and Alex right behind.

"But how can she do that now? Cameron got weak because of that process. Memories are not easy to erase." Matt rolled his eyes at Jerry.

"That's because you can't erase memories" He mumbled looking down to the werewolf. "But you can change them or make the person forget they even have those memories."

"Practically, he used a method to make her forget what she's done. There was just one small key in finding them out and that's control over something you never expected to have but you felt deep inside your heart." Tobias continued.

"So she forgot who she was and her entire life as Stella Blanche." Alex put it as easily as he could. "Coming back to Firehole was the key to get the memories back from somewhere deep in her mind. She never forgot who she was, she just couldn't remember. It was a gap that Adrian filled nicely with lies." Alex finished his idea with a smirk towards Tobias who rolled his eyes.

"What we're trying to say is that we know how we can get Stella back to normal, and so Nate too." There was a deathly silence. "We need to get Stella to re-invent herself again." James scoffed.

"And how are we going to do that?" Matt's eyes fell on James' with a big intensity, making the inferiority of the Arche male feel in the air.

"Half of us will take care of Nate and other weaklings Stella has under her command. The other half will take care of the problem itself." Everyone nodded. While the three men were talking, Eric couldn't mutter a word. He was sure Matt meant to kill both Blanche if his plan didn't work, which was most likely to happen. He was scared to kill her because he would kill himself too. Stella has been his past, his link to his happy, vampiric life he once loved. Alex have seen the expression Eric had when Matt finished explaining and he already had an idea of what was going inside his head.

Alex got out of his reverie when Matt glanced at him.

_I trust you_. Those weren't words that came out of his mouth but they could've been read into his eyes. The oldest vampire alive was putting his entire trust and family future into two simple hands of a vampire that once have been human.


	67. Chapter 67

**Chapter 68: First Stage 1.5**

The wind was blowing roughly in Firehole. The branches from every tree were gnashing like in horror movies. The dust on the ground was lifted by the wind and trailed to the forest, the place where a group of vampires were slowly approaching. The pair of green eyes that were watching the scenery from a large window was emotionless.

"They're coming." Another pair of green eyes was right behind. Stella knew very well what Nate was talking about. She waited more than she thought for them but that didn't scare her. She smirked and continued looking outside.

"Good." She knew that was the end of one side and she would make sure, breaking any rule there is in the vampire world, that it won't be hers.

Even with the bad weather, the united team against the female Blanche wasn't budging. They arrived in the forest in quite a short time and got into a circle, getting ready for what was to come.

"Adrian and Billie…I want you to get rid of the vampires that are still leaking around. Take the kids with you." Both humans nodded, not even thinking to speak back to Matt. "James, Jerry, you will occupy yourself with Nathan." Jerry's eyes widened while James simply snorted. He imagined before that he would be paired up with the wolf he so much detested but now he was actually facing the situation.

"That means it's us that we're going to enter her territory directly." Tobias remarked and pointed to each male, four of them being there, including himself.

"Yes." Matthew's response was clear and straight. He turned his head to Adrian. The human male nodded and headed to one part of the forest; Billie, Dana and Austin right behind. Without even having to take a glance, James scoffed and flashed on another path, Jerry sulking behind. When just the four vampires remained, Alex and Tobias sighed while poor Eric simply stared into nothingness. Matt trailed his eyes over the trees and stopped on a certain spot.

On the other side, Nate was very excited. He almost got himself killed by Stella for not calming his thirst down. However, when Nate finally left the room and walked to his prey, Stella's eyes turned back outside, staring in the exactly same spot her uncle was, making the two vampires seem like they were actually staring into each other's eyes, waiting for someone to say ready…

Matt's eyes narrowed slightly.

set…

Both vampires clenched their fists, Stella's becoming white, and the veins from her hand getting visible. Finally she turned her back to the window but before leaving she gave one last look over her shoulder.

GO

Stella's eyes narrowed instantly and changed to red, her fangs popping out and she hissed, exactly like a pissed off cat.

Throughout the whole forest the wandering pair of a vampire and a werewolf was not even glancing at one another. James's eyes were focused in front while Jerry didn't seem to have a problem with the current situation, or at least didn't show how uncomfortable he felt.

"Stop being so optimistic, Jerry." the tone he used on his name made the wolf turn his head and glare instantly.

"I'm not being optimistic at all, James dear." The smirk on Jerry's face was obviously mocking. "In fact, I believe this is stupid and aimless. It won't have any results." James stopped and raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really? Is the big bad wolf scared of vampires?" The werewolf started to growl, making the noble hiss in pleasure. "Or…are you against Matt's orders?" Jerry rolled his eyes and sighed, trying to ignore any of James' teases.

While there was silence, someone started to applaud. Both men turned to each other annoyed but as they have seen no one was clapping they tensed.

"What a view!" The voice wasn't far at all. As a matter of fact, from behind a tree appeared Nate himself, having a sadistic look in his eyes. "A vampire and a werewolf fighting together…" He stopped in front of them and started to smile creepily. "James and Jerry…that's even worse." He actually started to laugh for a few seconds until he flashed in front of Jerry. James moved quickly and pushed Nate into one of the trees. The younger vampire fell on his knees, unprepared for such a force but he didn't seem mad. He wiped his mouth, which had blood spilt from the impact, and glanced up. His eyes were redder than before and even had a tint of black. Demonic eyes were complimented by an evil smirk and a few simple words that might get the two older males in trouble.

"Let's get the party started." With those words said, Nate started his attack.


	68. Chapter 68

**Chapter 69: Second Stage**

Meanwhile, on a completely different side of the forest the nobles and Alex were still walking in silence. That, until Matt stopped and looked to the side.

"What's the matter?" Tobias was the one who asked. In the next seconds Matt flashed to the left, trying to shove someone but that person was too fast. Matt straightened his back and turned his head to look into the eyes of a devil.

"Tsk, tsk uncle Matt. I'm not that easy to catch." She giggled sinisterly and flashed out of there. "Where would be the fun if there wouldn't be any tag game…" Her voice could still be heard but her figure was hidden.

"This isn't a game, Stella." She chuckled, the sound echoing through the whole forest.

"But you are my pawns." Her response was playful. She wanted to gain more time and make the pain prolong. "Especially you." Alex tensed when he felt the words being spoken into his ear. A hand crapped up on his chest while the female watched the tensed male. When she got to the place his heart would be, she grabbed the piece of fabric he wore and gripped it in her hand.

"You're not going to kill me." These were more like encouraging words for him than for her. She sighed, though.

"Why would I want to kill you…" With one swift motion, Alex has been pushed aside with full force while Stella's eyes turned to Eric. "You, on the other hand, are a completely another story." Eric's eyes hardened but he didn't dare move a finger. She did, instead. Eric's eyes were on her finger, which was crapping up on his chest. "I would just love to grab your heart out." Tobias flashed between the two and grabbed her finger and narrowed his eyes at her, getting closer to her face.

"And I would love to erase that little grin off your face." Stella didn't react. Matt furrowed his eyebrows and made a sign for Eric to back off. He knew how much Tobias hated the old and innocent Stella and how much he looked up to her when she became evil but her present condition was putting everyone in danger. Meanwhile Alex just flashed back, a few bruises on his face and his clothes messy.

"Alex…perfect timing." She turned her head over her shoulder and smirked. "You came to see the fireworks…" Alex raised an eyebrow, not very amused to what she meant with 'fireworks'. Stella turned to Tobias and narrowed her eyes. The next thing the viewers saw was a flash of darkness going full speed at Tobias. He tried to block her punches but at the same time, try to find a way to fight back. There was none, though.

In the time Tobias was trying to keep up with the speed Stella's hits had, Matt wasn't doing anything. Alex was too focused on the battle and his body suffered damage; and Eric was himself trying to find a weak point. He was very attentive to her body movements, calculating when she would stop to breathe or get defensive. In Eric's eyes, Stella was moving in slow motion. She kicked Tobias in the stomach and grabbed his arm, turning the younger vampire around. She pushed him into a tree but didn't let him collide with it. She flashed in front of him and caught him by his neck, throwing him a few feet away. When Eric saw how she stopped and didn't look back to where the other three viewers were, he flashed behind her and grabbed her wrist, throwing her into distance. However, Stella recovered fast and hissed. She tightened her fists and hovered over Eric.

"Wrong move." She hissed and pulled him up by his collar. After a few seconds of staring at him, she threw him hard to the left. He collided into three trees before finally got his balance and flashed back to her. She felt him coming and when he was just a few centimeters away, she flashed behind him and kicked him in the back, breaking bones from what she heard. She looked down at him loathingly and raised an eyebrow. "I should kill you…or even better, I should make you suffer…but how…?" A sadistic smirk formed on her lips and chuckled darkly. Her eyes trailed around for a sharp branch. Seeing an open spot, Tobias flashed towards her. He was completely unprepared for what she's done. Finding already what she was looking for, when Tobias was ready to strike, Stella stuck the branch close to the heart. He stopped and fell down, in pain. She rolled her eyes and kicked him aside. Her attention went back on Eric who was on all fours, trying to steady himself so he could get up. She sighed and kicked him, making him fall back.

"Stella…" Alex had no words for what he was witnessing. The male grabbed the thorn he had secretly hid in the jacket and was ready to walk and stuck it into her heart but he got interrupted by a really loud yell. Stella's head quirked up instantly and chuckled.

"That's my brother…" She said proudly.


	69. Chapter 69

**Chapter 70: Third Stage**

What Stella and the rest of them heard was actually Jerry's yell. The young noble just grabbed a branch and stuck it into his stomach. Jerry was on the ground, scrapes all around his body, his shirt was in pieces and blood was dripping from his head, his lip and from the back, where it was clear how many times Nate scraped it. The vampire looked down at the werewolf with pity and nudged him in the ribs with his leg. Jerry groaned in pain and rolled on to the other side. Nate's eyes trailed from his body to a tree, where the older vampire was catching his breath.

"I recognize I didn't expect you to be so tough, Nate, but that doesn't mean I'm weak either." He spitted blood and glanced at Jerry. "I'm not him." With those words said, the Arche noble flashed to Nate. Of course, the power wasn't the same and not just because of the state of mind but because of the simple fact that being insane wasn't the same with being trained. James had the upper hand at that but Nate didn't have something that the older vampire always mastered and that was control. The punches, kicks and the speed were intensified and James's body couldn't take it forever. But Nate's condition wasn't that bright either. His shirt was torn; he had a few scratches on the back and also a full blown on his arm. Jerry did damage him a little but it still wasn't enough. James wasn't stupid, though, and tried to hit Nate exactly where he knew it would hurt like the arm or the huge claw scratch from his side. Nate wasn't stupid and got it fast, turning and defending those parts.

"I'm not a child, Arche. You can't fool me." James blocked Nate's punch and got a hold of his leg, turning the young male and pushing him into the ground. Nate couldn't really get out of it since James was pushing on his side, which from how much he was hissing, it hurt.

"Let's see how you get out of this, Gregory." Nate glared deadly at James but his eyes held a glint of suspicion. He was right; James had something else in his mind. Since Jerry could still move, though it was hard, he used it as a plan B. "Wolf!" As a sign of still being conscious, Jerry groaned. "Be nice and give me what we grabbed before we left." The werewolf couldn't understand what James meant until he finally remembered. He trailed like a worm towards his small bag pack which remained on the ground when the fight begun, and took something small out of it. It was a syringe. Nate couldn't see what Jerry was doing because of the grip James held on his back. He couldn't even move his head towards Jerry. Anyway, the werewolf threw the syringe to James, who caught it easily. He held it in front of the vampire. "Do you know what this is?" Nate growled, sign that James took as a negative response. "It's melted amethyst. It's true that the stone helps vampires walk in the sun but when it's inside the body, it hurts. They dry the blood somehow and that's what's going to happen to you, Nathan…" He said into his ear. Nate's eyes widened and he started to squirm but it was in vain. James stuck it into his neck and even though he didn't leave it there for long, not meaning to kill the Blanche/Gregory noble, he let enough enter into his body to make him yell in pain.

While Nate got hurt, Stella finished immobilizing Eric, who looked like hell. Alex already had cuts all over his chest, a wound in the stomach and scrapes on his face and legs but he looked the best out of them. Matt walked forward, indicating that it was enough. In that moment, Stella let go of Tobias, making him fall on the ground since she kept him up by his neck, and turned to her uncle. Their expression was the same: smug and ready to kill.

"I've been waiting for this moment for a long time now…" Stella mumbled, her head held high, trying to look more superior. It wasn't working since the other person was Matthew Gregory. His eyes held a mischievous yet deadly glint. He was ready to punish his niece for what she'd done and it was going to hurt; he was dead serious about it.

The two vampires stood still, their eyes were staring intently into the other's, the atmosphere was completed by the wind, which started to blow slightly. At the sound of a bird flying from the tree, both vampires glared and flashed. They first collided into each other, their wrists fighting for dominance. Stella's eyes deepened and with extraordinary force, she firstly pulled Matt into her and next, she pushed him to the left. He regained fast and launched at her. His punches were very fast, the viewers couldn't even keep up with it visually but Stella was good at defending herself. She looked closely at how he was throwing kicks and punches at her and when she saw how he wanted to kick her in the stomach, she jumped and rotated over his head, her hands laying on his shoulder so she could throw him when she landed. The plan was good but Matt caught her hand and when he was ready to collide with a tree, he pushed her against it first, face front. The collision was pretty harsh since she got herself a few bruises and blood dripped from her nose. Matt also grabbed her and pushed her on the ground. He got on her back, since she was facing the dirt, and slammed her head a few times towards the concrete. It hurt and also her face was getting more wounds. She growled and somehow, rotated fast and faced him. She glared and punched him. He lost for a bit his concentration and Stella used that small amount of time in her favor. She pulled her legs towards her chest and kicked Matt into the chest, throwing him away. Again, Matt showed how trained and fast thinker was when he grabbed her leg and while being thrown, he kicked her in the chest as well. The two bodies were each flying into opposite directions and both caught themselves at the same time. Stella was losing her temper rapidly and launched to Matt while he was getting himself on two feet. She grabbed his head and slammed it into the tree; not a few seconds later she grabbed his hands from behind and pulled them towards her while she was kicking his back. Matt could feel himself bleed but it wasn't that obvious on his face. He didn't seem to hurt at all while Stella already had bruises. Since she held a tight grip on him, Matt relaxed his muscles. In that moment, Stella made a big mistake: she let her guard down. Matt had his eyes closed from pain and when he felt her grip lessening, he opened them and turned and grabbed her by the collar. She was surprised and didn't have time to react. The oldest vampire slammed her in the spot he was a few moments before and kept her in place.

"Give me a reason why shouldn't I kill you right now." He whispered into her ear. She hissed and squirmed under his grip but even though she was that powerful, he was stronger and older. Stella glanced to the man behind her, her eyes narrowing when she saw Matt raining one hand in the air. The younger vampires were sure he was going to snap her head or grab her heart out and their own hearts were beating really fast. However, something has been thrown at Matt and he caught it easily. The viewers' eyes turned to where the object has been thrown from. It was James.

"The wolf is safe but he is just half conscious. Adrian and the others got the vampires and got the unconscious Nathan somewhere safe…for us. You take care of her." Matt nodded and James flashed away. Alex's eyes widened and struggled to rise.

"Wait! Are you going to kill her?" Stella could just hear what was happening behind her. The force she had was nowhere as big as her uncle's. Her struggles just got her into a tighter grip.

"I'm going to do the right thing." He responded without even glancing behind. His eyes focused on his niece. He pushed more force on her head and titled it to one side. She tried to get out but it was hard; her uncle even got one leg between hers, pushing force into her ankle from behind. Matt sighed and sunk the syringe into her neck. In that moment, Stella's eyes reddened and the green orbs weren't visible anymore. She was in enormous pain. She bit her lip hard, drawing out blood. Matt backed off and watched. She squirmed and in the end, screamed out bloody murderer. Her scream could've been heard even by James, who stopped walking and glanced to the place he just ran out from.

Alex's eyes watched as Stella dropped on her knees, her hands gripping the tree, her nails sunk deep into it. She tried to regain her breathe and turned around, facing her uncle. She opened her eyes slowly but just enough to catch a glimpse of her surroundings. Her orbs trailed over everybody in that place. Matt was emotionless, Tobias was unconscious and Eric couldn't even move. On the other side, Alex looked like he would burst out crying. He couldn't move from the shock. The female sighed and closed her eyes.

"Stella!" Alex was frantic. He didn't want her dead. Eric's eyes widened and tried to drag himself towards her. Even though everyone thought at least once that Stella should die, they didn't want that to actually happen. "Stella…Don't die! Just resist it! Please…" He mumbled the last part. He really loved her as a human and still cared for her, as a vampire. It's never been about loneliness, it's always been about her being someone special for him. He accepted her how she was, crazy, insane, evil, innocent, powerless, and normal. It didn't matter on what extreme she was. Stella has always been just Stella for him.

While reality was struggling with so many tangled feelings, Stella's mind was blank and so the memories that have been stuck somewhere in the back, came to surface.

"_Stella?" The young vampire looked to the front door and smiled._

"_Eric!" she jumped off her seat and walked to him. The Arche noble smiled widely and hugged her. He loved having her into his arms. It really felt as if that was the right place she should be in. The feeling was mutual. The happiness Stella felt was bubbling inside her tummy._

Also that feeling of happiness went through Stella's aching body too. Her heart beats sped up.

"_I'm sorry…" This time, Stella was in a clearing with Alex. He was standing, puffing out his cheeks while Stella had a tissue in her hand and was cleaning Alex's face off blood. Her eyes rolled when she heard his sorry words._

"_You don't have to be sorry. I changed you and I knew you would go looking for blood." Alex's head bent down and sighed._

"_I killed that girl…" Stella's actions stopped and she prompted down beside him. She also put her hand over his, which was on his lap._

"_It's alright. It's in your system to kill and not feel remorse. Just…stop feeling." He raised his head and looked into her green eyes._

"_But I'm not a monster." Stella's mouth opened a little and her eyes moved to the side. "That's what I liked about you. Vampire or not, you always control your behavior. You don't live how you are supposed to, but how you want to. That's what makes you different from other vampires."_

That small piece of memory, the **admiration** Alex had for her, everything just started to be put into its rightful place in her mind. Flashes of different memories were rolling into her head like a movie. Her heart started to beat faster and faster and at one point, it abruptly stopped. In that moment, the blood thirsty vampire, the evil side, the normal and humanly part and the innocence; everything just came at once and mixed. Her blood started to boil and her heart started to beat again. In that moment, Stella's eyes opened and she breathed in as if she's been dead the whole time. Someone put its hand on her back and she glanced towards that person. Her eyes widened when she realized it is Matt.


	70. Chapter 70

**Chapter 71: The End**

"Matthew…" She mumbled. She was even more surprised when he smiled kindly at her and patted her head.

"It's good to see we restrained the curse once again." Her eyes widened and that's when she took the time to look around her. She was definitely in a room, actually, her own room at Adrian's house. She was bandaged and her head and back hurt. She touched her head and felt the patches. Her green orbs also trailed around the room. On the couch which was situated in front of the bed was a sleeping Eric, who also had his head, leg and arm patched up. From him, her eyes went to the sleeping Alex, who had a sash tied around his chest; he was lying on the floor, his back leaning on the wall. In the end, her eyes stopped on her hands.

"I'm…sorry." She whispered loud enough for Matt to hear. He chuckled silently and pulled her into a small one sided hug.

"You've been a very strong vampire." She looked up to him and quirked up an eyebrow, confused. "I injected melted amethyst and lapis lazuli into your body combined with blood from a werewolf. That's a very deadly mix. If it would've been any normal vampire, he would've died instantly. However, you held it in and bled a lot. That blood you eliminated saved your life. You purified your own body. Congratulations." He smiled kindly at the end. He was definitely proud of his niece. She didn't know what to do but smile back.

"Thank…you, I guess." The uncle chuckled and his eyes trailed to the two younger vampires.

"These two stayed by your side the whole time. You hurt them quite badly but they still stood here the entire time." She furrowed her eyebrows.

"'The entire time'? How long have I been knocked out?" Matt moved his mouth to the side and thought.

"About two days. Your heart stopped a few minutes before you regained consciousness." She was shocked. "But you are alright now. Of course you did some nasty things, like killing your supposed-to-be friends but it's alright. You still have Dana and Austin and you can always rely on Alex and Eric."

"Where is Nate?" Matt's smile faded instantly at his nephew's name. Her eyes widened, thinking about the worst scenario.

"He's not dead, stay calm. He just needs more time to recover." She did relax and sighed. "It's been a long time since you could sleep. Just relax. Everything's over."

"How can you be so sure?" Matt raised an eyebrow, playfully.

"I know everything, in case you forgot." She scoffed and laid down on the bed. The last thing she saw before she closed her eyes and went to sleep was her uncle's relived face.

The next morning, Stella woke up in an empty room. Since her body still hurt, getting up from the bed was quite a difficult task, but she managed it. Slowly, and groggily, she started walking towards the hall. She glanced at the stairs before her head went to the door from her brother's room. With a hand still around her torso, which stung incredibly bad, she made her way to the room. She turned the doorknob slowly and opened the door, trying to make as less noise as she could. Her eyes trailed Nate's body from afar and when she got next to his bed, she sighed and closed her eyes. Her brother was a mess. He had bruises all over his body, scratches on his face, his head was entirely bandaged like her own; he looked bad overall and powerless.

"I'm sorry I got you like this…" She whispered and with the available hand, stroked him on the head. It seemed as Nathan felt her presence and opened his eyes. The pain in his body was obvious even in his green eyes. Stella felt even worse.

"It's not your fault." The words came out a little bit harder than Nate wanted, and in a much softer voice than he meant. He wanted to comfort her but his situation wasn't exactly helping.

"I promise I will never get you into this again. Now that I know who I am and I know what I can become, I won't lose control again. You can trust me." He smiled, even though even that hurt.

"I've always did." She smiled warmly to her brother. Also, very slowly, she bent and kissed his forehead.

After Stella left her brother, with a small broken heart as she'd seen his wounds, she walked towards the stairs and eventually, descended them. When she put her foot on the last step, there was no noise and just stares.

"Stella…" The one who mumbled her name was none other than Alex. He smiled brightly and hugged her. She didn't flinch, though it hurt a little bit. In his arms, she relaxed and remembered how he actually saved her life with his admiration and supposed love. She closed her eyes and let herself be comforted. Eric's eyes were covered by his black bangs but just seeing Stella so happy in Alex's arms, he couldn't stop the guilt. Stella sensed that immediately and her eyes opened abruptly and stared at him. Her green orbs were still entrancing and he found himself trapped into them, again. She got out of Alex's embrace and went to the noble. She chuckled, making the young Arche looked up to her.

"You're such a baby. No one's dead, we're just hurt. I know you wanted to kill me at one point but who wouldn't? I was a danger for anyone and I understand that. Maybe I will act differently now, since I did wake up entirely, but that doesn't mean we can't start from zero. I want to continue from the day I remembered which equals zero." She smiled and walked a little bit closer to him. "Do you accept my offer, Arche?" She asked in a smug voice, though it was playful. He stared into her eyes for a few more moments until his lips curved into a smile and nodded. He also hugged her, taking her by surprise, but she didn't get out of his hold. She sighed happily and put her only available hand around his torso.

"It's nice to see everyone so happy and bubbly and whatever but just because little missy vampire is now normal doesn't mean werewolves don't want to come and make a battlefield from Firehole." James darkened the mood with his line. Adrian, who was downstairs too, rolled his eyes.

"Shouldn't everything be alright now that the Devil itself is on our side?" He meant it as a joke but everyone knew that was true. Stella chuckled and sat on the couch. She was already exhausted and just walked a few steps here and there.

"Where's Uncle Matt?" Alex was the one to respond.

"Back on his plane to England. He came here exclusively for you. Tobias left with him too. It's just us now." While saying that his eyes were mischievously looking at her. Eric growled seeing his adversary's eyes.

"Back off Smith…" He hissed but Alex just glanced at him over his shoulder, a smirk on his pretty sexy lips.

"Make me, Arche." The two were bickering again and that meant just one thing.

Everything was over and life was moving on. No matter what was going to come, they were ready because there was no more Stella Blanche or the human Stella Monroe. There was just the daughter of Aaron and the niece of Matt Gregory: Stella.

From the darkness of the forest, two red eyes were glaring at the joyful house. Also the sound of someone chuckling was echoing throughout the trees and bushes.

"Regain your strength, Stella. You will definitely need it in the future." Also the evil voice started laughing like a maniac until it stopped abruptly and the tree the creature has been hiding behind shifted, indicating his leave.

When the anonymous man left, Stella's eyes widened and her head turned fast to the window. Her posture tensed and her orbs started to change slowly to red. Something was going to happen and she was sure it wasn't about werewolves anymore.

The End

...?


End file.
